By Ayala Ben-Yehuda:
Queens soldiers stationed in Israel awaiting a possible war with Iraq are among the only combat soldiers having taxes withheld from their paychecks, U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) said last week.
“These troops, manning our Patriot missile sites in Israel to guard against an attack by Saddam Hussein, are on the front lines of the United States' potential war in Iraq,” said Ackerman in a news release.
The congressman, who is the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Subcommittee on the Middle East, said federal law exempts soldiers in combat zones from having taxes taken out of their paychecks.
Ackerman aide Jordan Goldes said a Defense Department official told the congressman that combat zones must be officially designated by the president via an executive order and Israel had not yet received such a declaration.
Ackerman learned of the situation on an official visit to Israel earlier this month, when he met with American troops from Queens and other parts of New York state who said they were still paying up.
He said soldiers in the Persian Gulf and former Yugoslavia were receiving the exemption, which totals $130 a month on average.
“There is no reason why this federal tax exemption they would get in other countries in the region should not include them,” said Ackerman of the 800 U.S. soldiers he said are currently stationed in Israel, mostly at a base outside Tel Aviv.
The congressman was attempting to secure an official declaration for those soldiers through the Defense Department.
