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GROWN IN NEW YORK
Thomas F. O'Mara
June 20, 2013
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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.
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Go to Newsroom![The veterans in the front row are, from left to right: William J. Johnson of Glen Cove, Audley Coulthurst of Harlem, Wilford R. DeFour of Harlem, and Herbert C. Thorpe of Brooklyn. Michael Joseph of Corning is standing to Senator O’Mara’s immediate left in the photo.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/tuskegeeairemen-newweb.jpg?itok=T7UQxlTq)
!["The future of public transportation in our rural, Upstate regions is being put at risk by Albany’s ongoing attempt at a statewide, one-size-fits-all approach to these local systems," said Senator O'Mara.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/schuylerbusbannerpark4_0.jpg?itok=2N2wzZoV)
![Senator O'Mara and Assemblyman Palmesano sponsored the legislation.](/sites/default/files/styles/760x377/public/palmesano-and-omara_newweb.jpg?itok=3Egda2nl)