Sales tax refund for Rockland Co. emergency vols ?

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Sales-tax break proposed for Rockland emergency volunteers

By SARAH NETTER

THE JOURNAL NEW

(Original Publication: May 1, 2006)

A thousand bucks could mean gallons of gasoline, a month's rent or several months of groceries.

More than that, it could mean the appreciation of more than 3,000 Rockland County emergency service volunteers.

The county Legislature is trying to coax the state to approve special legislation that would reimburse many of Rockland's emergency volunteers for up to $1,000 a year in sales taxes on purchases made within the county.

"It's great that they're doing this because it's providing recognition to the under-recognized," said Brian Lynch, public information officer for the Congers-Valley Cottage Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

"With the cost of living going up around here, I'm sure everyone will gladly take it," he said.

Legislator David Fried, D-Spring Valley, has been pressing the initiative in one form or another for more than a year. The county Legislature approved it April 18.

"This sales tax exemption puts real dollars back into the volunteers' pockets," he said.

The reimbursement would be available to Rockland emergency service volunteers — firefighters, emergency medical workers and auxiliary police — who have given at least three continuous years of service.

They would be responsible for saving their sales receipts to make reimbursement claims to the county for up to $1,000 paid out in sales tax at year's end.

The reimbursement would be paid back out of the county's sales tax revenue, Fried said.

"Oh God, we need it," Haverstraw Fire Department Chief George Crowley Jr. said.

Echoing a problem often cited by similar officials, Crowley said his department had a difficult time holding on to volunteers in their 20s and 30s. They often move north where housing is less expensive.

Those younger volunteers are "like gold to us," Crowley said. "They usually move away the quickest because they can't afford to live here."

To implement the program requires the state Legislature to give Rockland home rule to waive its portion of the sales tax.

State Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City, said he was interested in the program, but had yet to see anything official from the county.

"If they come up with what's workable we ... will probably file the bill," he said, speaking of the state Senate and Assembly.

Assemblyman Kenneth P. Zebrowski, D-New City said he thought the program was a "wonderful idea," but it might have a hard time passing the state Legislature.

"I'll certainly sponsor it," he said, but warned that other legislators may not want to pass legislation that didn't benefit volunteers statewide.

"It's giving an advantage to one county that the other legislators are going to look at and say, 'That should be available in my county,' " Zebrowski said.

Along those lines, he said he would introduce a bill this month to give emergency volunteers across the state a 10 percent break on their property taxes.

"I think we are completely dependent on our volunteers for our health and safety and our personal security in our homes," he said. "I think we owe it to them to encourage retention and new volunteers joining."

Volunteers in Rockland already can receive some property-tax exemption, but it amounts to less than $100, said Frank Hutton, chairman of the Committee to Promote Volunteerism in Rockland County Emergency Services.

The sales tax exemption, he said, is not just a thank-you to the volunteers, but also to their families.

"The guys that I've told it to," Hutton said, "are very excited about it."

[res6cue 67]

Our county has always been progressive with stuff like this. Years ago, we were one of the first counties to have state legislation passed that allowed the county/towns to give a small break on property taxes to volunteers. It's nice to see they're not stopping there.

Edited May 1, 2006 by res6cue