AMY PAULIN IN THE NEWS
Thursday, December 31, 2009
New laws bring benefits for veterans, tax-amnesty program
The Journal News
By Joseph Spector
ALBANY — An expansion of property-tax benefits for veterans, a 911 surcharge on Internet telephone providers and a new pension tier for public employees are among the new laws that take effect at the start of 2010.
On Jan. 15, the state will start a tax-amnesty program to allow tax scofflaws to save as much as 80 percent on the penalty and interest they owe. The state is hoping the program will bring in $250 million in revenue; it was approved by the Legislature in December to help close a mid-year budget gap.
The state Department of Taxation and Finance plans to reach out to about 800,000 delinquent taxpayers to encourage them to apply for the program, which will run only until March 15.
People who have unpaid bills from 2003 or earlier can get as much as 80 percent of the accrued penalty and interest removed; as much as 50 percent can be removed for bills between 2004 and 2006. Bills less than three years old are not eligible.
"This program is mutually beneficial to both taxpayers and the state government," said Matt Anderson, a spokesman for Gov. David Paterson's budget office. "It would provide much-needed revenue to the state during an unprecedented fiscal crisis, while also helping taxpayers repair their credit histories and avoid costly legal action."
The measure is among dozens of laws that go into effect in January.
A bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, will allow local governments to expand property-tax exemptions for veterans, including those who own cooperative apartments and property held in trust.
A bill approved by the Legislature will require what's known as voice-over-Internet service providers to contribute to the enhanced emergency telephone systems surcharge program, which funds E-911 services for counties.
Another law will provide voters who file absentee ballots with greater leniency when signing their names. The use of titles, initials or common abbreviations on absentee ballots will be permitted. Until now, any discrepancy between the signature and the person's official name invalidated the absentee ballot, said state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, who sponsored the bill.
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