Much has been said recently about the tax breaks being granted to the many new large companies locating here in the Mid-Hudson region. Both Senator Skoufis and others have weighed in on the subject, and I suspect many local taxpayers as well, after having just received their bloated school tax bills.

The question is: Why do the little people just pay, pay, pay and the very profitable large companies moving into the region have the good fortune to pay but a pittance considering their values? I call the home owners little people because they are the ones who shoulder the major burden in our ever increasing tax load. They are little people because they go to work in the morning, take care of their families, make up the fabric of their communities, but are never truly heard from when it comes to giving away their tax base. They are not heard because they are too busy with life. They elect people to represent them to take care of those technical things like the intricacies of taxation. They don’t get involved because who would listen anyway? They have ideas though and they are not stupid. They know right from wrong, but lack the confidence to step forward and state their concerns. Up until now!

More examples of tax giveaways are being cited everyday such as: The large company that moved into one of our large upstate cities and was granted a huge tax deferment. When all was said and done, the exemption granted was one half million dollars for every job created. There is the recent case where in Cortland County, a nursing home has gone on the market for sale for about $14,000.000. The new potential purchasers, who already own 17 nursing homes within the area, have gone to the local governments and asked for a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) totaling an 88 percent reduction in their tax bills. It almost slipped through the crack if it were not for a lone town board member who started to ask pertinent questions. Now many others are asking questions we well.

It appears as though there is little oversight when it comes to making tax deals with large property owners. With all of the growth within the Hudson Valley, it would seem that the taxable tax base should be increasing exponentially, but is it? If all the growth were added to the taxable portion of the assessment roll, there may even be a chance that the rest of the town, county or school district taxpayers could even see a reduction in their taxes. Now that’s the way it is supposed to work. A larger base = a lower tax rate, therefore, delivering a lower tax bill if spending remains under control.

So who is going to fix this inequity? If the “little people” finally get fed up, change may be in the air.