Image credit: City of New York, Office of the Comptroller.
Comptroller calls for an expansion of property tax relief programs in the City. On September 6, 2018, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer issued a report detailing property tax increases in the City from 2005 to 2016 and their effect on households at different income levels. The report highlights the dramatic impact that these increases have had, particularly on households with incomes below $50,000 and the inability of existing property tax relief programs to ease the burden of taxpayers at this income level. The report shows how the City tax relief programs fare in comparison to other states that offer tax benefit programs, specifically Maryland and Washington D.C, where benefits are higher and more expansive. The report is a call to policy makers and the recently established NYC Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform to re-evaluate the impact of property tax increases and the ineffectiveness of existing tax benefit programs in order to turn New York City’s tax system from a regressive one to a progressive one. To read CityLand’s prior coverage on NYC Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform, click here (read more…)
Image credit: NYC Office of the Comptroller.
[The following guest commentary is a response to Airbnb’s commentary published here.]
New Yorkers are facing a growing affordability crisis, and over the years my office has examined many factors that have proven to contribute to the burden of rising prices – including, most recently, a report on the impact of Airbnb on New York City rental prices. (read more…)
Image credit: Airbnb
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer recently released a report on Airbnb in New York City that is wrong on the facts, wrong on the methodology and wrong in its conclusions. (read more…)
Image credit: New York City Office of the Comptroller
On April 2018, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer issued a report on the impact of Airbnb on City rents. The report looked at how the home-sharing company impacted rent in the City over the period of 2009 to 2016. The report found that rental rates increases during this time period can be attributed to Airbnb. (read more…)
Broken Spiral Slide. Image credit: City of New York Office of the Comptroller.
549 NYCHA-owned playgrounds have hazardous conditions and lack of repair and maintenance records. On April 4, 2018, Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released an audit of New York City Housing Authority playgrounds’ conditions and maintenance. NYCHA is responsible for the maintenance of each development’s playgrounds. Results from playground inspections are required to be entered into NYCHA’s electronic system for tracking maintenance and physical repair work. However, the Comptroller’s audit shows that NYCHA failed to consistently maintain playgrounds. (read more…)
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. Image credit: Office of the New York City Comptroller
Audit reveals that Department of Buildings did not inspect non-compliant POPS locations. On November 22, 2017, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of a follow-up audit to determine whether the Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS), previously found noncompliant in an April 18, 2017 audit, now provided all required amenities, and what action if any were taken by the Department of Buildings to bring these POPS into compliance. To read CityLand’s previous coverage on the Comptroller’s initial audit, click here. (read more…)
