Governor Eliot Spitzer today unveiled a $6 billion property tax relief plan as part of his 2007-08 Executive Budget that focuses on middle-class homeowners. Assemblyman Joe Giglio (R,I,C-Gowanda) reacted to the plan today by saying:

“The governor’s plan to lower property taxes mirrors my call for an aggressive property tax cut I have championed since my first day as an assemblyman. In the past five years, real property taxes have increased 42 percent leaving New Yorkers with the highest state and local tax burden in the nation. We have to reverse this trend to become more competitive nationally. The message is clear, we need real property tax relief, and we need it now.”

“In the Southern Tier, we have been dealing with the ill-effects of soaring property taxes for far too long. Families are being forced to leave their homes and young people are choosing to locate to states with more affordable living costs. We can no longer sustain the exodus of potential employees because businesses will simply not locate here, leaving us with a stagnant economy.”