Seto owes more back taxes

From the NY Post:

City Comptroller John Liu’s top political adviser is in hot water again with tax authorities.

The state Department of Taxation and Finance has slapped Chung Seto with a warrant for $25,924 in back taxes.

An agency spokesman said the money Seto owed was from 2008 and 2009.

The warrant was issued on April 24.

The Post previously reported that the IRS is also on Seto’s case, slapping her with liens of $100,871 for 2007 and $74,206 for 2008.

More people ask for review of property tax bills

From the NY Post:

New Yorkers are hitting the roof because of ballooning property-tax bills.

A near-record 52,123 city taxpayers are appealing their home assessments this year — close to a 4 percent jump from the 50,249 who questioned their bills last year, The Post has learned. Of that total, 8,249 received reductions.

The highest number of appeals the city Tax Commission has ever seen was 52,130 in 1998.

Tax officials attribute the jump to the frustrating combination of growing bills and plummeting profits in home sales.

Another reason is the difficulty in selling homes.

Because the city values condos and co-ops as rentals, not single-family homes, annual assessments are often higher than what homeowners think they should be. Assessments directly determine how much homeowners pay in taxes.

Another complication is that the city staggers tax-bill increases over a period of years, so a levy can go up while a home value decreases.

The commission is currently reviewing the appeals.

Keith's owner a tax deadbeat

From the Times Ledger:

Plans to develop the RKO Keith’s Theatre are still in a holding pattern as the Federal Aviation Administration has not issued a final ruling to allow construction, but developer Patrick Thompson also faces nearly $400,000 in unpaid taxes and the potential sale of the property as a tax lien, according to city records.

But Thompson faces more hurdles from the city Department of Finance.

According to the department, Thompson did not pay any of his property taxes since January 2011. The fees come to $379,585 in property taxes, $1,900 in water bills, and $180 in additional charges.

The outstanding total balance of $381,698 means that the property is in danger of being put on the list of tax liens for sale, according to the finance department.

If the lien were to be put up for sale, anyone would be able to purchase the property for the exact amount that is outstanding at the time, the department said.

Senate says to give refunds now

From the Times Union:

The state Senate on Tuesday called on Gov. David Paterson to abandon his proposal to potentially delay state tax refunds to alleviate the current fiscal crisis. The resolution, proposed by Senate Conference Leader John Sampson, D-Brooklyn, passed by a unanimous vote.

"This is the taxpayers' money, not the governor's," Sampson said in a statement.

Senate Republicans complained the chamber could go much further than merely expressing its displeasure. Sen. George Winner, R-Elmira, spoke in support of his proposed law that would require the state Department of Taxation and Finance to process refunds within a 30-day period, or explain why it has not. Winner's bill is sponsored in the Assembly by Westchester Democrat Richard Brodsky, who was in the Senate chamber for the debate.