Authorizes municipalities to offer a real property tax exemption for active military service members who at any time during the taxable year performed active duty in the armed forces in a combat zone; defines terms; makes related provisions.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6579
SPONSOR: Stern TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the real property tax law, in relation to a real proper-
ty tax exemption for property owned by certain persons performing active
duty in a combat zone
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is provide a property tax exemption for active
service member whose military duty station is within the boundaries of
New York State and has served in a combat zone anytime during the taxa-
ble year.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one. Amends the real property tax law by adding a new section
458-d, which provides the authority for municipalities to enact a tax
exemption up to twenty-five percent of the assessed value owned by
members of the United States Armed Forces deployed in an active combat
zone. Armed Forces shall mean the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force,
Space Force, Coast Guard or Army or Air National Guard or New York Naval
Milita.
Section 2. Enacting clause.
JUSTIFICATION:
Currently, active-duty members of the United States armed forces do not
qualify for the property tax exemptions afforded to Veterans. This bill
recognizes that those who volunteer to serve our country should be
afforded benefits in recognition of their service, and willingness to
make the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24 A.7796-A Jean-Pierre Assembly Veterans' Affairs Committee
2021-22 A.5766 Cusick Assembly Veterans' Affairs Committee
2019-20 A.5344-A Cusick Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee
2018 A.9025 Cusick Assembly Veterans' Affairs Committee
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the state
ENACTING CLAUSE:
This act shall take effect on the second day of January next succeeding
the date on which it shall have become a law and shall apply to real
property having a taxable status state on or after such effective date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6579
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 6, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. STERN -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT to amend the real property tax law, in relation to a real proper-
ty tax exemption for property owned by certain persons performing
active duty in a combat zone
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The real property tax law is amended by adding a new
2 section 458-d to read as follows:
3 § 458-d. Active service exemption. 1. For the purposes of this
4 section:
5 (a) "active military service member" shall mean an individual serving
6 on active duty.
7 (b) "active duty" shall have the same meaning as such term is used in
8 section 101 of title 10 of the United States code.
9 (c) "armed forces" shall mean the army, navy, marine corps, air force,
10 space force, coast guard, or army or air national guard of the United
11 States, or New York naval militia.
12 (d) "combat zone" shall mean areas designated by an executive order
13 from the President of the United States in which the United States armed
14 forces are engaging or have engaged in combat.
15 (e) "military duty station" shall mean the permanent location to which
16 an active military service member is assigned for duty as specified on
17 the individual's permanent change of status orders.
18 (f) "qualified owner" means an active military service member whose
19 military duty station places such active military service member's resi-
20 dence within the boundaries of New York state.
21 (g) "qualified residential real property" means property owned by a
22 qualified owner which is used exclusively for residential purposes;
23 provided, however, that in the event that any portion of such property
24 is not used exclusively for residential purposes, but is used for other
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05775-03-5
A. 6579 2
1 purposes, such portion shall be subject to taxation and only the remain-
2 ing portion used exclusively for residential purposes shall be subject
3 to the exemption provided by this section.
4 (h) "latest state equalization rate" means the latest final equaliza-
5 tion rate established by the state board pursuant to article twelve of
6 this chapter.
7 (i) "latest class ratio" means the latest final class ratio estab-
8 lished by the state board pursuant to title one of article twelve of
9 this chapter for use in a special assessing unit as defined in section
10 eighteen hundred one of this chapter.
11 2. The governing body of any county, city, town or village may adopt a
12 local law or resolution to provide an active military service member,
13 who at any time during the taxable year performed active duty in the
14 armed forces in a combat zone as documented by a copy of such active
15 military service member's military orders or certified letter from such
16 active military service member's commanding officer, an exemption from
17 taxation on qualifying residential real property up to twenty-five
18 percent of the assessed value of such property, provided, that such
19 exemption shall not exceed twenty thousand dollars or the product of
20 twenty thousand dollars multiplied by the latest state equalization rate
21 for the assessing unit, or in the case of a special assessing unit, the
22 class ratio, whichever is less. Such local law or resolution shall
23 establish a maximum exemption percentage or maximum exempt dollar amount
24 not to exceed the levels outlined in this subdivision.
25 3. The exemption from taxation provided by this section shall be
26 applicable to any county, city, town, or village, but shall not be
27 applicable to taxes levied for school purposes. If an active military
28 service member is currently receiving an exemption under section four
29 hundred fifty-eight, four hundred fifty-eight-a or four hundred fifty-
30 eight-b of this title in any given taxable year, the active duty service
31 member shall not be eligible to receive the exemption under this section
32 during the same taxable year.
33 4. Application for exemption shall be made by the owner, or all of the
34 owners, of the property on a form prescribed by the state board. The
35 owner or owners shall file the completed form in the assessor's office
36 on or before the first appropriate taxable status date. The owner or
37 owners of the property shall be required to refile each year. Appli-
38 cants shall refile on or before the appropriate taxable status date. Any
39 applicant convicted of willfully making any false statement in the
40 application for such exemption shall be subject to the penalties
41 prescribed in the penal law.
42 5. In a city having a population of one million or more, applications
43 for the exemption authorized pursuant to this section shall be consid-
44 ered timely filed if they are on or before the fifteenth day of March of
45 the appropriate year.
46 6. A local law or resolution adopted pursuant to this section may be
47 repealed by the governing body of the applicable county, city, town, or
48 village. Such repeal shall occur at least ninety days prior to the taxa-
49 ble status date of such county, city, town, or village.
50 § 2. This act shall take effect on the second day of January next
51 succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law and shall apply
52 to real property having a taxable status date on or after such effective
53 date.
