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Ladoga Park resident Dave Heck has been on a crusade to help Lansing taxpayers, especially seniors, pay their taxes.  In February Heck approached the Lansing Town Board to talk about extending the deadline for taxes past the end of the month to allow those on fixed incomes, pensions, or Social Security to receive a payment before the tax is due (click here for that story).  Last month he made the same request at a Lansing Fire Commissioners meeting.  Monday Heck went before the Lansing Board Of Education to make his case.

"The main reason is to ease payment by the taxpayers, the general taxpayer and specifically with senior taxpayers," Heck told the board.  "The problem with the current 9/30 date is most ... until the end of the month.  When it comes time to pay a four figure tax payment you have to transfer from savings.  You lose interest.  Some banking institutions penalize you even more if you transfer money out."

Heck says that a lot of taxpayers risk 'float' which he says is writing a check and submitting it, hoping that it doesn't clear until you transfer funds to cover it a few days later.  If the check clears too soon an overdraft fee is levied, and the tax payment deadline is missed, which incurs fees.

"The main problem is for seniors," he said.  "Most of us join a pension or Social Security.  most of us get that deposited electronically on the first of the month, or the third for some Social Security beneficiaries.  So we've got to transfer a sizable sum before the 30th to avoid float.  (If the tax deadline were later) we could transfer a lesser amount from our savings.  The benefit is to reduce the loss of interest, and lower the float percentage and post dating of checks.  It also eases the seniors' problem.  They have more money in their checking account to take care of this tax."

Heck says another benefit of moving the date forward a few days would be to prepare for upcoming checkless payments that will provide less of a buffer between the time a payment is issued and when it clears.

Heck has lived in Lansing and union Endicott for 40 years.  He has told the Lansing taxing authorities he has addressed that Union Endicott has offered a later tax deadline for years.  He presented copies of his UE 2002 and 2003 school tax bills which showed October 1 and October 2 deadlines.


"A precedent exists," he said.  "I've spent 40 years paying taxes here and in Union Endicott (UE). UE has always been obliging to taxpayers.  They always have an October payment date.  So we always have that Social Security or pension money available."

Heck says he spoke to a BOCES official who told him New York State law requires a 30 day tax collection period.  He suggested consulting state law in determining whether the school district can extend the payment deadline.  He also made reference to a section of New York State Real Property Tax Law that allows municipalities to extend the deadline by five days for qualified senior citizens.

The law states,  "§  925-b.  Extension; certain persons sixty-five years of age or over. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this chapter, or any  general, special or local law, code or charter, the governing body of a municipal corporation  other than a county may, by resolution adopted prior to the levy of any  taxes  on  real  property  located  within  such  municipal corporation,  authorize  an extension of no more than five business days for the payment of taxes without interest or penalty to any resident  of such  municipal  corporation  who  has received an exemption pursuant to subdivision four of section four hundred  twenty-five  or  four  hundred sixty-seven  of  this  chapter  related to a principal residence located within such municipal corporation. If such an extension is granted,  and any  taxes are not paid by the final date so provided, those taxes shall be subject to the same interest and penalties that would have applied if no extension had been granted."

Another section, §  925-d, states that deployed military personnel may receive a 90 day extension.

"We will be looking into this," said School Board president Anne Drake.  "I'm surprised that nobody has brought this to our attention previously."

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