Tax Abatements for Donations

Tom Suozzi ran eight years ago as a reformer. He ran as the anti machine. He ran as an honest man, a CPA who would fix Nassau. But how has it turned out?

Tom Suozzi has turned into the worst machine politician since the halcyon days of Boss Plunkitt. We've chroniciled pay to play in Nassau. But now its even worse than I thought.

I just thought Tom Suozzi has been giving contracts to people who were big contributors, or taking contributions after the contracts are given. But now, we find out that for a $50,000 contribution, Tom Suozzi will give you a tax abaatement courtesy of the Nassau Industrial Development Agency.

What's a tax abatement? A tax abatement basically give a piece of property a break. It either removes you from the tax rolls entirely, or gives you a much reduced rate. If you're renting an apartment in a complex with an abatement, as this contributor in question was, your tenants can save a small fortune. If you develop a factory or office building, overhead will plumment by several thousand dollars.

But the tax burden just shifts. Instead of collecting the money from the property in question, you're going to have to make up the difference with higher tax rates for other properties. So, everyone else pays a little more to pay for the abatement.

Translation -- High Tax Tom is taxing the rest of us to fund his own ambitions. High Tax Tom needs those $50000 campaign checks. He's willing to tax the rest of the county to get there. Tax abatements are one of the most sought after things that the county has to offer. And Suozzi is going around giving these things out for free to people who support him?

Its time that we get government for the people and not for the contributors. We need to elect Ed Mangano as County Executive.