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Andrew Yang Promises to Protect Religious Institutions’ Property Tax-Exempt Status

Andrew Yang Promises to Protect Religious Institutions’ Property Tax-Exempt Status

By Yehudit Garmaise

   Andrew Yang wants to raise much-needed revenue in the New York City by charging fees of private universities, which do not pay property taxes in New York state, he said today on TikTok.

    “The major source of durable revenue in New York City is property tax,” said Yang, who has announced his campaign for New York City mayor. “There are major, major landowners in New York City who are not paying property tax because they are tax-exempt. 

    “But they still benefit from police, fire, and various city services.”

    Some in the community feared that the “major, major landowners,” to whom Yang was referring are religious institutions, whose property tax-exempt status irritates some non-religious New Yorkers, who feel that their property taxes are disproportionately increased to compensate. 

    But in an exclusive statement Yang gave to BoroPark24, he clarified his position by saying, “To help the city's recovery, while we call on the largest tax-exempt landowners in the city to come to the table to temporarily increase their contributions to the city's tax base — that will not include religious institutions and faith-based schools, which are invaluable to countless communities across New York City.”

    Not only will Yang protect the property-tax exempt status of religious institutions, Chris Coffey, Yang’s political director added, “Andrew is a big believer in religious freedom and a supporter of community based religious institutions, which are an essential part of our fabric.

    “As mayor, Yang will work closely with religious groups, and we’re eager to hear from them during this campaign.”

    In the coming weeks, Yang said he will be releasing more details about how he plans to reform the city's property tax system to bring much needed revenue.

    “As part of that, my focus will be on making sure that homeowners in outer borough neighborhoods aren't left paying a disproportionate share of taxes in NYC,” Yang said.

   Private universities, however, will be accountable to contribute more financially to the city if Yang is elected mayor, he said today.

    Apartment buildings bought by Columbia University are tax-exempt, for example, Yang explained.

     “The city gets no property tax revenue from any of those apartment buildings,” he said. “Does that make sense to anyone? They should still be paying something into the system.”                                                                                    

      “So, we are going to go to some of these tax-exempt institutions, such as private universities” Yang said today, “and say, ‘Look, you are benefiting from city services. You need to pay something in the form of fees, in lieu of, the property taxes you should owe.’”


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