Ortt Criticizes Department of Taxation and Finance, Cuomo Admin

Today, Senator Rob Ortt (R,C,I,Ref-North Tonawanda) called out the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and the Cuomo administration for what he feels is a clear use of state departments for political gain. Last weekend, it was revealed that New York City and eight other counties across the state received STAR school rebate checks as early as June, with these eight counties comprising 74 percent of the Democratic vote. Meanwhile, the majority of upstate counties, which lean heavily Republican, wouldn’t receive their school rebate checks until late September or October.

“Once again, we are seeing that the level of service and treatment you receive from the government is all dependent upon the letter next to your name on your voter registration,” said Ortt. “Our governor loves to have his name in the papers every day bashing our president for creating divisiveness in our country, however, he continues to treat Republicans and Conservatives in our state like second-rate residents. Gov. Cuomo is the face of hypocrisy.” 

Historically, STAR checks had not been delivered to families until the late summer into the early fall. However, with this year’s Democratic primary drawing a higher level of interest than usual, residents in these heavily Democrat-registered counties received the money they were owed by the state and Cuomo much earlier than expected.

“It is incredible what a primary can do for government efficiency,” said Ortt. “For a department that is notorious for unresponsiveness and delay, the fact that these select counties received their STAR checks far earlier than normal isn’t by happenstance. The fact that this administration is pitching this as a coincidence demonstrates how little they think of New Yorkers' intelligence.”

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