By Nathan Duke
Borough property owners were pleased that long−awaited $400 rebate checks from the city were on the way, but many said the checks would provide little relief following the City Council’s vote, which approved a plan to raise property tax rates this year.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced in late December that the $400 rebate checks, which were originally scheduled to be mailed in October, were in the mail.
The mayor had originally attempted to halt the checks on the grounds that the action would save the city $256 million amid the economic downturn. But the Council also voted 33−18 last month in favor of the mayor’s plan to raise the city property tax rate by 7 percent in 2009.
Queens residents said that while they were glad the checks were finally en route, they would likely end up using the rebate to pay off 2009’s tax increase.
Astoria resident Bob Karayiannis also said his rebate would likely go toward paying off the increased property tax rate.
“The check is coming, but now they are raising taxes,” he said. “They give from one side and take from the other.”
Karayiannis said he did not expect the city would send out the rebate next year as the nation’s economy continues to struggle.
“They are spitting in our face,” said Astoria property owner Kostas Tolis. “It’s not like $400 will save us. It’s ridiculous. This country is so rich, so where is our money going? It’s not going to the people.”
Auburndale resident Dina Quondamatteo said she received her rebate on Dec. 31. But she said she would have preferred the city to have not sent out the rebate.
“They should have kept my check and not raised taxes,” she said. “It serves no purpose.”
An estimated 600,000 city residents were expected to receive the checks in the mail in early January after they were shipped out late last year.
The rebate checks have been sent to owners of homes, condos and co−ops for the past four years. The checks were originally initiated to offset an 18.5 percent property increase in 2002 after the city economy was hit by a slowdown and the ripple effects from Sept. 11.
Council members and community leaders had criticized the mayor after he delayed the checks in the fall, arguing that many residents had included the rebate in their annual budgets.
“The mayor giveth with one hand and taketh away with another,” said Bayside resident Frank Skala, who received his check and deposited it in the bank. “But he taketh away more than he giveth.”
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e−mail at nduke@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 156.
