Editorial

A tax break for first responders

Posted 1/26/23

Volunteer first responders throughout the State of New York may be eligible for a new tax credit if approved by their local municipality.

The bill, sponsored by Assembly Member Ken Zebrowski (D- …

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Editorial

A tax break for first responders

Posted

Volunteer first responders throughout the State of New York may be eligible for a new tax credit if approved by their local municipality.

The bill, sponsored by Assembly Member Ken Zebrowski (D- Suffern) and then-State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D-38) would offer tax credits to volunteer firefighters and ambulance corps members. It was signed into law this month by Governor Kathy Hochul.

Local governments can adopt a local law that would exempt up to 10 percent of the assessed valuation of the primary home for volunteer first responders. To date, the measure is being considered in the Towns of New Paltz, New Windsor and Shawangunk and the Village of Montgomery, among others. The tax exemptions, if approved, would apply only to property owners living within the municipality, and only to the tax levy of that municipality. (The local school board would need to enact its own exemptions to provide a tax break on that bill.) And if approved, the exemption would not show up on your tax bill until the next fiscal year.

The hope among supporters of the legislation is that the tax breaks may provide an additional incentive for prospective volunteers who would receive something more than simply the satisfaction of serving a vital role in their community. The reality is that, in many communities, the ranks of volunteers are seriously depleted, and any additional incentive for anyone to volunteer to serve in either the fire department or the local ambulance corps, is well worth the measure.
The other reality is that volunteers deserve much more when one considers the hours of training requirements of volunteer positions and the level of risk that each encounters. In that light, the rewards remain minimal.