Bill Text: NY S05923 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Authorizes the abatement of real property taxes in certain cases of catastrophic loss; establishes procedures therefor; limits eligibility to one, two, or three family houses; applies to all municipal and school taxes.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT [S05923 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S05923-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5923

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 22, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. BORRELLO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government

        AN ACT to amend the real property tax law, in relation to the  abatement
          of taxes in certain cases of catastrophic loss

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Article 5 of the real property tax law is amended by adding
     2  a new title 2-A to read as follows:
     3                                  TITLE 2-A
     4             ABATEMENT OF TAXES IN THE CASE OF CATASTROPHIC LOSS
     5  Section 548.   Applicability of other provisions.
     6          548-a. Definitions.
     7          548-b. Catastrophic loss tax abatement procedure.
     8          548-c. Coordination with school and village tax levies.
     9    § 548. Applicability of other provisions.  The  provisions  of  titles
    10  one-A  and  three  of  this article shall apply to this title insofar as
    11  they are not inconsistent with  the  provisions  and  purposes  of  this
    12  title,  which  shall supersede any inconsistent provision of such titles
    13  one-A and three. The provisions of  this  title  shall  apply  to  taxes
    14  levied by all municipal corporations only upon a one, two or three fami-
    15  ly residence.
    16    § 548-a. Definitions. For the purposes of this title:
    17    1.  A  one,  two or three family residence has undergone "catastrophic
    18  loss" when it is totally destroyed or is so extensively damaged that all
    19  dwelling units in such residence are unfit  for  habitation  and  cannot
    20  reasonably  be  made  fit  for habitation within a period of one hundred
    21  eighty days after the damage occurred.
    22    2. "Family residence" means an owner-occupied residential dwelling.
    23    § 548-b. Catastrophic loss tax  abatement  procedure.  1.  A  property
    24  owner  is eligible to file a claim for a catastrophic loss tax abatement

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02911-01-3

        S. 5923                             2

     1  if the catastrophic loss occurred within six months after the completion
     2  of the final assessment roll.
     3    2.  Such a claim must be filed with the assessor or board of assessors
     4  within six months after the completion of the final assessment  roll.  A
     5  statement  of  the  facts  constituting  the basis of the claim shall be
     6  filed on a form prescribed by the commissioner. Such statement shall  be
     7  made  by  the  owner  of the real property, or by a person authorized in
     8  writing by the claimant or his or her attorney or  agent  to  make  such
     9  statement  who  has  knowledge of the facts stated therein. Such written
    10  authorization shall be made a part of such statement  and  bear  a  date
    11  within  the same calendar year during which the complaint is filed. Such
    12  statement shall also contain the following sentence: "I certify that all
    13  statements made on this application are true and correct to the best  of
    14  my knowledge and belief and I understand that the making of any willful-
    15  ly  false  statement  of  material  fact  herein  will subject me to the
    16  provisions of the penal law relevant to the making and filing  of  false
    17  instruments."  Upon  the filing of such statement, all collection of tax
    18  efforts shall be suspended and the accrual of interest or  penalties  or
    19  both  shall also be suspended. If the claim is sustained, no interest or
    20  penalty shall be due, and any interest or  penalty  paid  prior  to  the
    21  filing  of  the statement shall be refunded. If the claim is denied, all
    22  collection of tax efforts shall resume, and  interest  or  penalties  or
    23  both  shall  resume   their accrual retroactively to the date of suspen-
    24  sion.
    25    3. The claim shall be heard and determined by the board of  assessment
    26  review  or  assessment  review  commission,  as  the  case  may  be. The
    27  proceedings in hearing and determining the claim shall  be  modified  as
    28  necessary to serve the purposes of this title and shall be in accordance
    29  with  the regulations of the commissioner. All claims shall be heard and
    30  decided not later than two months after the last day for filing a claim.
    31    4. Upon the determination of a claim, the board of  assessment  review
    32  or  assessment  review commission, as the case may be, shall give notice
    33  of the determination to the assessor  or  board  of  assessors  and  the
    34  claimant  within  five  days of such determination.  Notwithstanding any
    35  inconsistent provision of law, if the claim is determined to be in favor
    36  of the claimant, the assessor or board of assessors  shall  correct  the
    37  tentative  assessment  roll,  final  assessment roll or tax roll, as the
    38  case may be, within five days of receiving such notice.
    39    § 548-c. Coordination with school and village tax levies. The  commis-
    40  sioner  shall  promulgate regulations to coordinate assessment rolls and
    41  tax levies of counties, cities and towns with those of school  districts
    42  and villages.
    43    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    44  it  shall  have become a law. Effective immediately the addition, amend-
    45  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    46  tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
    47  completed on or before such date.
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