Cold War Veterans Blog

A county lowers taxes for Cold War-era vets

tuesday, November 20, 2007

By Charles McChesney

Staff writer

Sullivan County has voted to offer a tax exemption to veterans of the Cold War, and nearby Greene County is considering doing so.

Sullivan County approved a 15 percent exemption last week. The Greene County Legislature has scheduled a hearing on the matter for this evening in Catskill.

The Cold War veterans tax exemption was passed by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer this summer. It allows municipalities - including cities, towns and counties - to exempt from taxes 10 percent or 15 percent of the value of a veteran's real estate.

The exemption, which cannot be greater than $12,000, is similar to those offered to veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam or the Persian Gulf conflicts. As currently written, the law requires each veteran to provide a local assessor with a certificate showing Cold War service in the U.S. military. Few veterans have the certificate and Spitzer has asked the Legislature to change the law so that only separation papers would be required.

Officials in other counties have declined to move on the Cold War veterans exemption until the Legislature acts, said a spokesman for the New York State Association of Counties.

Contact Charles McChesney at cmcchesney@syracuse.com or 592-7140.

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