On the ground

Representative in Congress Kirsten Gillibrand’s ear was finely tuned to the concerns that area residents expressed at her “Town Hall” meeting on Jan. 19 at the Davenport town hall. Her primary focus was on tax relief, but she also answered questions on the economy and the war in Iraq.

An obviously expecting Gillibrand meets and greets constituents in Davenport.

She told those gathered that she is proposing one measure that would double the size of the tax credit offered for child care, another that would allow families who most need it to deduct up to $10,000 of their children’s college tuition, and another that property taxes will be deductible. “There needs to be a fair cap on taxes, but we still have to be fair to the school districts,” she stated.

Three experts from agencies that deal with taxes joined her at the front of the packed meeting room. Geoffrey Gloak of the state Office of Real Property Services, Mary Ann Tucker from the state Department of Taxation, and Sharen Greene, a local taxpayer advocate for the Internal Revenue Service, also fielded questions from those gathered. Gloak announced that Governor Eliot Spitzer has announced a new commission on property taxes, which will look into capping school taxes and find alternative ways to fund the schools. “The lottery has not worked in the way they originally thought it would for education,” he said.

The 20th Congressional District representative was receptive to all questions and, if she did not have an answer, promised, “I will look into that!” One such statement from a constituent charged that there was corruption in the Federal Reserve system, and she promised to research to see if the allegation was true.

The need for help for small businesses and working farms was also addressed, and she indicated that she would strive to see that a simple, lower cost system, which would resolve taxation problems for such people, can be implemented. She also advised that the federal farm bill has incentives, but said that the House and Senate are “not together yet” on such a proposal.

Also in the area of taxation, to a remark that was made about property tax and assessment formulas differing from one area of the state to another, she said, “We need a whole new system. Other states have state systems, and we hope the new commission will change that in New York.”

Since a part of her district is in New York City’s watershed, the representative said that she has been in consultation with the staff of Mayor Michael Bloomberg “to see how we can change the tax formula, so that the city can invest more in this area, so we can make more money here, and still have something that works for them.”

The upstate area is also reeling from high gasoline prices, which have many tax fees contributing to the increase. “We have to fight to lower this burden,” she remarked.

On the matter of Iraq, she commented, “We have had six or seven votes on ending the war, and we now have a majority who want to bring the troops home within the year, but we need a two-thirds majority before this can happen.”