Suffolk County To Establish Protect Suffolk Taxpayers Task Force

L-R Suffolk County Budget Review office Director Robert Lipp, Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory, Dr. Ronald Masera, superintendent of Remsenbur-Speonk UFSD, Ralph Scordino, mayor, Village of BabylonThe Suffolk County Legislature will vote tomorrow Tuesday, June 19, to create the Protect Suffolk Taxpayers Task Force. The task force, announced earlier today at a press conference held by the Legislature’s Presiding Officer (PO) DuWayne Gregory, will study the potential costs and benefits associated with school districts and local governments establishing charitable gift reserve funds and offering tax credits to persons who donate to the funds to reduce the impact of changes to the Federal Tax Code that limited the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction to $10,000.

“While the damage to Long Island’s economy from these changes in the tax law can only be estimated at this time, we do know it could be in the billions. We need to understand if these options outlined by New York State are a real possibility for assisting our residents with easing the additional tax burden that this federal policy has created,” PO DuWayne Gregory

The Protect Taxpayers Task Force will consist of nine members and have ninety days to study, hold a public hearing, and issue a report of its findings with recommendations before it will be disbanded.

At the press conference PO Gregory introduced three of the nine panel members of the proposed task force: Suffolk County Budget Review office: Director Robert Lipp; Dr. Ronald Masera, superintendent of Remsenbur-Speonk UFSD; and Ralph Scordino, mayor, Village of Babylon.