WHITE PLAINS – Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Monday, signed a new property tax relief measure to help county taxpayers facing financial difficulty this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new law compliments the executive order Latimer was granted by Governor Andrew Cuomo to go forward with his plan to remove late fees for county residents and business for the late payment of their property taxes.
The bill authorizes towns to reduce late-payment penalties for all other town property taxpayers, regardless of specific hardship qualification, by as much as 80 percent through July 15.
To provide assistance to the cities and towns that collect these taxes, the executive order allows for the county executive to accept less than 60 percent of the taxes (along with special ad valorem levies and special assessments) due on May 25 from towns and cities, as long as the municipalities waive residents’ late fees for the late payment of property taxes up to July 15, 2020.
This two-pronged tax relief program, developed through the cooperation of state, county and municipal officials, will provide meaningful relief on both a targeted and broad basis to county taxpayers struggling through this challenging time, officials said.
