The original item was published from 12/27/2017 9:47:19 PM to 1/3/2018 12:00:03 AM.

News Flash

Village of Irvington web site

Posted on: December 27, 2017

[ARCHIVED] Detailed Explanation about Property Tax Pre-Payments

The Board of Trustees and Village staff, after extensive consultation with other elected officials, the Village Attorney and the New York Conference of Mayors, posted an announcement on the Village web site earlier today, stating that Irvington's Tax Collector may not accept pre-payments of 2018/19 Village taxes. That announcement was the culmination of days of work, as we were searching for a different answer.

Here is a more detailed explanation of the information shared earlier.

VILLAGE TAX
As we also reported on the Village web site, the Irvington Tax Collector cannot collect Village tax pre-payments because the laws of New York State require that the Board of Trustees issue a collection warrant, which can only be issued after a budget is adopted. Our Village, as well as the other incorporated villages in Greenburgh, operate on a June 1 – May 31 fiscal year. Statutory deadlines in New York State law do not allow for a budget to be adopted by December 31. The Governor’s Executive Order #172 did not change this requirement in any way.

SCHOOL TAX
Pre-paid School taxes for the 2018/19 School Year will also not be accepted by the Town of Greenburgh Tax Collector. Schools also must issue a collection warrant, but with the added complexity of having a budget approved by the voters. Again, the Governor’s Executive Order did not relax any of these requirements.  Of note is that the second half payment of the 2017/18 School Year is normally due in January 2018. As has always been the case, that payment can be paid to the Town of Greenburgh in December, if you wish.

TOWN TAX
Pre-payment of the Town of Greenburgh taxes is the only real pre-payment option available to Village residents. The Town tax is typically a relatively small portion of a Village resident's total tax bill (maybe 5% or less). Contact the Greenburgh Tax Receiver for details about early payment of 2017/18 School taxes and how to pre-pay the 2018 Town taxes. www.greenburghny.com

COUNTY TAX
Westchester County has already indicated that it will not issue a collection warrant prior to December 31, so, as a result, the Town of Greenburgh has announced that it will not be accepting any pre-payments of County taxes.

SUMMARY
While it is always recommended to consult your own tax professional, we are aware that many tax professionals and news reports are recommending pre-payment of property taxes as a way for some individuals to obtain the maximum tax deduction possible. While these reports make it seem that property tax pre-payment is a simple solution, the complicated, overlapping layers of government in New York State do not allow property tax pre-payments to be an option for the residents of our Village.

By virtue of the amount of property taxes paid by residents of our region, the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 places a disproportionately high burden on those same taxpayers. We, like many of our fellow residents, have been actively seeking ways to reduce this burden, even if it is for only one year. This added burden comes on the heels of the recent Greenburgh property revaluation, which had a significant effect on our Village residents. We know, first hand, that some of our residents are struggling to continue to live here. We are deeply distressed by the disproportionate burden of this federal action on Village residents, and accept the profound responsibility to do all that we can to mitigate its effects as we go through the budgeting process.