Westchester Taxpayers United!

Read the facts and join our online petition.

From out of control property taxes to sales taxes, oppressive state taxes, escalating fees and the new MTA payroll tax, middle-class Westchester families are being taxed out of their homes and their hometowns.

Westchester Taxpayers United is a forum for overtaxed, overburdened Westchester residents to tell our elected officials that enough is enough.
We don’t need more taxes and more government spending. We need real relief!

If Westchester taxpayers are united and we speak with one voice, our elected officials will have no choice but to listen.

Property Taxes

Westchester homeowners pay the highest property taxes in the state. The average property tax bill in Westchester County is $10,500 per year. And our property tax bills grew by 67% between 1995 and 2005, while the county’s population increased by less than 5%.

This year, the one piece of relief we received from the state—our STAR Property Tax Rebate Checks—was taken away by State Senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Jeff Klein, Suzi Oppenheimer and Ruth Hassell-Thompson. Westchester homeowners receive the largest STAR property tax rebate checks in the state—averaging over $1,000 per year—and each of these State Senators voted to take it away from us. Westchester families were supposed to receive their STAR checks the week of October 20th.

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As Westchester Taxpayers United, we call upon Westchester’s State Senators to
restore our STAR Property Tax Rebate Checks this year.

Higher State Taxes

The state budget raised state taxes by $8.5 billion to fund $11 billion in new state spending (nearly a 10% increase). As a result, Westchester families will now pay $2,400 more in state taxes.

Before Senators Stewart-Cousins, Klein, Oppenheimer and Hassell-Thompson raised state taxes last spring, Westchester County taxpayers already paid an average of $6,937 in income taxes to New York State. Outside of New York City, this is more than anywhere else in the state.

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As Westchester Taxpayers United, we call upon Westchester’s State Senators to
cut state spending and roll back the tax hikes they enacted this year.

Higher Motor Vehicle Fees

Starting September 1st, families in Westchester County will pay $180 more to register and drive their cars because of the fee increases passed by Westchester State Senators Stewart-Cousins, Klein, Oppenheimer and Hassell-Thompson. These Senators voted to raise these fees to fuel new state spending and to bail out the MTA. Even though they said these higher fees would be used to protect Metro-North riders, our fares will still increase by 27%.

And next spring, every driver will be forced to purchase new license plates (at $25 a piece), even if they don’t need them.

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As Westchester Taxpayers United, we are calling on these State Senators to
roll back these unfair motor vehicle fee increases.

MTA Payroll Tax

Senators Stewart-Cousins, Klein, Oppenheimer and Hassell-Thompson voted to impose a tax on every job in Westchester County, including private businesses, school districts, local governments and charities, like the Salvation Army, to provide a $2 billion bailout for the MTA.

The Payroll Tax will further increase our school, county, city, town and village property tax bills and strangle job creation by local businesses. This is the same tax that will be levied in New York City—even though Westchester commuters enjoy a fraction of the service.

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As Westchester Taxpayers United, we believe it’s wrong to impose a tax on jobs in Westchester County and raise local property taxes to bail out the MTA bureaucracy

After checking the messages you wish to send to Westchester’s State Senators
who voted for these higher taxes on middle-class Westchester families,
please fill out the sender information below and click submit.

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