Mineola, N.Y- With the Bush Administration considering the elimination of the federal deduction for state and local taxes, Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi urged Nassau's almost 9,000 delinquent property taxpayers to pay their taxes by tomorrow, so they can deduct that payment from their 2004 federal income tax filing.

County Executive Thomas Suozzi, center, flanked by Nassau County Legislator David Mejias, left, and Nassau County Treasurer Henry Dachowitz, right, urges Nassau’s almost 9,000 delinquent property taxpayers to pay their taxes by December 31, 2004, so they can deduct that payment from their 2004 federal income tax filing.

"Property taxes are too high already. With New York State's high mandated costs, like Medicaid and Washington and Albany taking so much of our money in income taxes and giving us back so little, Long Islanders pay some of the highest property taxes in America," explained Suozzi. "Perhaps the only good thing about paying property taxes is that they are deductible from your federal income taxes," Suozzi said. "Now, Washington wants to take that away," he added.

"If you pay your due taxes by Friday, December 31st, you will be able to claim a 'deduction' for the full payment on your 2004 federal income tax filing," Suozzi clarified. "It is especially important because if the Bush Administration has its way, this might be the last year that County taxpayers can deduct these property taxes from their federal income taxes."

That would cost New Yorkers about $37 billion per year, more than almost any other state.

"The change would hurt more than 3 million taxpayers in New York and would brutally burden Nassau's taxpayers, many of whom are seniors, young families, and middle-class," Suozzi detailed. "The change would be catastrophic for Long Island."

"I suppose a political cynic could say that any plan to eliminate the property tax deduction is nothing short of 'Revenge Against the Blue States," declared Suozzi. "The list of those states adversely affected by the change is clearly dominated by blue states. Our big blue states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut would be at the top of the list of those states hard hit by the Bush plan."

"Ironically, these blue states are the very same states that send much more tax money to Washington than they get back from Washington," disclosed Suozzi. "New York State sends at least $30 billion more to Washington than it gets back," he added.

(A recent study, ''Tri-State Affluence: Losing by Winning,'' found that taxpayers in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey (Blue States) pay a disproportionately high share of the nation's federal income and employment taxes.. Those same states rank 49th, 40th and 50th, respectively, in the amount of federal aid they receive per tax dollar, according to the study.)

"There is another benefit to paying your taxes before the end of the year, December 31st", explained Nassau County Treasurer Henry Dachowitz. "Unpaid taxes will be charged additional interest, 1% compounded on the first day of every month, so if you pay this month you will save money,' he added.

County taxes are levied on January 1st for the fiscal year January 1st through December 31st , with semi-annual payments due by February 10th and August 10th of each year. Unpaid taxes become "delinquent on March 1st and September 1st.

As of December 1st, 2004, more than 8,700 properties were "delinquent" with outstanding taxes due amounting to more than $48 million. Unless taxes are paid on these parcels by February 15, 2005, they will be offered for sale at the county's annual Tax Lien Sale.