![Senator Headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/4_3_small/public/02-10-15_official_hs_omara-hs-040_0.jpg?itok=gJ9N77KJ)
GROWN IN NEW YORK
Thomas F. O'Mara
June 20, 2013
![](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/ag_button_0_0.jpg?itok=ak4mkwuW)
It may not be getting the widespread public notice it deserves, but we've just taken a big step toward delivering long-awaited and badly needed property tax relief for New York State's farmers.
That's because both houses of the Legislature have unanimously approved legislation I co-sponsor to place a 2% cap on annual agricultural land assessment increases.
This legislation was a cornerstone of “Grown in New York,” a comprehensive economic development strategy for New York State agriculture that I unveiled with my Senate Republican colleagues earlier this year.
For too long, property tax increases have been crushing our family farms and driving too many of them out of business. New York farmers have long labored under the second highest property tax burden in America and it’s been an unfair competitive disadvantage.
It’s about time we took this action and we’re hopeful that it will make a difference for our next generation of family farmers to help them grow, prosper and stay competitive.
Share this Article or Press Release
Newsroom
Go to Newsroom![At the Senate's 2011 "Women of Distinction" awards ceremony in Albany, from left to right: Senator O'Mara, the senator's inaugural "Woman of Distinction" Carol Berry, Carol's son Richard, and Lorraine Patti, then-President of the Dormann Library Board of Trustees.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/wodnewweb.jpg?itok=Qjq_7S7C)
![“The last thing a New York State taxpayer needs is to have to pay another tax or another fee,” said Senator O’Mara. “We need to be moving in the other direction, which means lower taxes and fewer fees.”](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/untitled_12.png?itok=IpQ6XeTD)
![Legislators and local highway superintendents from throughout New York State gathered in The Well of the Legislative Office Building in Albany today for the annual "Local Roads Matter" rally.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/chips-flanagan.jpg?itok=Jc5lXLRc)