Town extends property tax relief for Cold War vets

PORT EWEN, N.Y. » The town of Esopus has extended for at least one year a property tax break given to military veterans of the Cold War era.

The Town Board approved the extension last week. The board would need to adopt a local law to have the relief stay in place permanently.

“It was a 10-year [tax relief initiative], and now it’s come up to expire,” Councilman Wayne Freer said. “It probably should have been ‘forever’ when it was put in.”

The tax break is available to Esopus residents who served in the U.S. military between Sept. 2, 1945, and Dec. 26, 1991, and do not receive other veterans’ exemptions.

Qualified veterans can have the assessed values of their properties reduced by at least 10 percent. The amount can rise as high as 50 percent based on service-related disabilities.

Lower assessments result in lower property tax bills.

The Cold War tax relief can be coupled with tax breaks not associated with military services, such as one for senior citizens.

A Cold War tax-relief program also has been adopted by the town of Ulster, and the city of Kingston is considering extending its Cold War benefits.

Ulster County lawmakers also are considering property tax relief for Cold War veterans. A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Dec. 12 in the Legislature chamber on the sixth floor of the County Office Building, 244 Fair St., Kingston.

“It was a 10year [tax relief initiative], and now it’s come up to expire. It probably should have been ‘forever’ when it was put in.”

— Councilman Wayne Freer