By Jason Scheer
Patrick Nicolosi, President of the Elmont East Civic Association, said enough is enough.
With the school taxes and the property taxes, it-s too much, he said. We can-t afford it anymore.
Nicolosi, like many Long Islanders, is appalled at the seemingly endless tax swell. He cited a 14.82 percent property tax increase as the latest example of taxes spiraling out of control.
Young people can-t afford to live here, older people can-t afford it anymore and pretty soon nobody-s going to be able to afford this, he said.
Frank Mollish, a senior citizen living in Franklin Square, said that he has watched many of his longtime friends pack their bags and leave Long Island because of the high taxes.
Retired people, their income is low, he said. They can-t afford to live here anymore. That-s why everyone is selling their home.
Karen Mollish, also of Franklin Square, says her family struggles with the taxes despite her full time job and her husband-s two jobs. She hopes the rally will serve as an impetus for change.
I-m hoping that someone will realize how the families here are struggling, she said.
The rally took place just weeks after Nassau County Assessor Harvey Levinson-s office acknowledged that sloppy bookkeeping has cost some Nassau County residents thousands of dollars.
Some Nassau homeowners are paying artificially inflated property taxes due to clerical errors made by the Nassau County Department of Assessment, according to Hempstead Town Receiver of Taxes Don Clavin.
In addition, Clavin said in a statement, homeowners wishing to correct the problem will have to wait months for the errors to be corrected. This is because the Nassau County Department of Assessment appeals to the Board of Assessors for a correction in these cases. After action is taken by the board, the correction is ratified by the County Legislature and eventually a refund check is issued.ÊThis lengthy process could take up to eight months.
The county would not willingly pay an erroneous bill and then wait an inordinate period of time for a refund, Clavin said. It-s an insult to expect more from hardworking taxpayers.
And it-s that sort of government overlap that the protesters were trying to overcome. George Fahrback, of Franklin Square, says he hopes that someone, from some branch of government, will listen to the people of Nassau County and make a change.
There are a bunch of voters out here, so there-s a chance something will be done, he said. That-s the only way to get things done, to show them that we will vote for someone else.
