Brooklyn, NY – Council candidate Joe Lazar called for a 5-year moratorium on the expiration of the 421-a condo tax abatement program today, saying that middle class families needed a break from mounting taxes in this time of economic crisis.
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“Middle class families across our community are watching in horror as their tax bills climb by thousands of dollars each year. And the sad reality is that these staggering tax bills are only getting worse as more and more 421-a tax abatements expire,” explained Lazar, a career public servant and expert in government budgets. “In this time of economic crisis, it is morally and fiscally wrong to balance the budget on the backs of working families already struggling to pay their bills. That’s why I’m proposing a 5-year moratorium on the expiration of the condo tax abatement.”
Lazar said that some middle class families have already been forced to move out of the 44th Council District because of mounting tax bills and he warned that this trend will only grow more serious if the government does not offer condo owners the relief they need until the local economy is able to rebound from the recession. Lazar acknowledged that only the State government in Albany could enact his proposal, but he contended that it would be his job as City Councilman not only to fight in City Hall for the 44th Council District, but anywhere where he could help make the lives of the people of his community better.
Lazar pointed out that the federal government is spending trillions of dollars in stimulus funds to bail out Wall Street and the mega-corporations, but ignoring the economic concerns of the middle class. This is a terrible injustice, according to Lazar, because it is the middle class taxpayers’ money that makes these trillion-dollar bailouts possible. Lazar argues that the middle class deserves to be bailed out too.
“The condo tax issue is of critical concern to our community,” said Joe Lazar. “We can’t destroy our neighborhoods by taxing families out of their homes who want to raise their children in the 44th Council District. Helping families survive this economic downturn isn’t just about dealing with the present, it’s about our future.”
This is a true askan leshem shomyim not full of beloneis, he knows what he is talking about, Joe I can’t wait seing you in the city council serving as the Council Memebr of the 44th District
Met him last night by a dinner he is a very special person, not a phony politition with empty promises, go joe!
Response to comment #2 . Without the incentives you can forget about any developement at all. The envirnment today is sick, you have DOB issues. You have finance issues, and to add on tax abatement issues, its your prescription for disaster and little by litttle destroy this city. Mr. Lazar is correct. You need incentives to survive. Every little bit is a major ingridient to stay alive. You need all of it to blend together to make it work or you will have nothing.
The 421a tax exemption is not new. Over a year ago there was a vote to change the 421a. There is a greater problem with taxing Condo with more than three families. They pay about six time more than a three family in taxes. All this is an old issue and has nothing to do with the federal stimulus funds
The problem is these abatments should never have been given in the first place and then the condos would have had to been more affordable “with” the tax bill and the mortgage payment.
When the condos were built 15-20 years ago, all buyers knew that the day reckoning will be here before youcan blink your eye, but for whatever reason choose to ignore it. Maybe the thinking that at that time was that they will flip this property or refinance the mortgage for a lower payment to account for the taxes. EIther way, the free ride is over now, and you have to pay for the services you receive from the city and state.
Actually I think that it is time to do away with all tax abatments, and let “all” residents pay for the services they receive not only the ones that have to deduct city/state/federal taxes from their hard-earned pay-checks, and don’t get back any goodies. I am sure the developers will still fnd a way to make some money.
They should even out the property tax, so condo owners have the same tax rate as a 3 family house.
Listen up bozo. Cutting food stamps and medicaid is not the route to go. How about you starve for a week and know what others go through.
The answer to all the problems is two fold.
Cut the waste and go after the fraud of section 8, food stamps and in medicaid. The amount the governement would save would be in the billions.
And in your own community section 8 is out of control. How many people are on it that is really through fraud because their husband and wife are not “married” and under 2 different social security numbers and addresses?
How many people live in New York but driving with NJ or PA plates? This is car insurance fraud and the other is regular fraud. The dirty list goes on so before you mouth off think about solutions. First being is changing yourself