Much has been made lately, thanks to the efforts of the Comptroller, of the number of property tax assessing units in New York State. While having attention to this issue is a positive development, the focus is on the wrong problem. The problem with property tax assessments in New York is not with the number of assessing units. There are two core problems with our system: (1) there is no requirement that property be assessed at full value; and (2) there are no consistent rules and standards used by all assessors statewide.
Until New York decides to adopt an assessing system that is fair and applied equally to all property owners, it does not matter whether there is one assessor or one thousand. With the elimination or limitation of many of the economic development incentives relating to real property taxes, New York's assessment system will continue to be a drag on economic development and job creation in the state.
