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Westchester County Executive George Latimer received permission from Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday, April 21, to go forward with his plan to remove late fees for county residents and businesses for the late payment of their property taxes.
“I want to thank Gov. Cuomo for recognizing the need to help Westchester residents and businesses," Latimer said. "I am concerned about the financial pressures that the residents of this county are under. We can, we should - and now, we are - offering them some financial relief by waiving the late payments for the county taxes now due.”
The order allows for the county to accept less than 60 percent of the taxes due on May 25 from towns and cities, as long as the municipalities waive residents’ late fees for the late payment of property taxes up to July 15.
To have the fee waived, the resident or businesses must certify economic hardship caused by COVID-19.
The threshold for the certification requires in part that a resident must have qualified for the STAR exemption, is not paying property taxes through an escrow account, and can assert that they have suffered a loss of substantial employment income as a result of COVID-19.
“The Business Council of Westchester applauds the County Executive and the Governor for adopting this Executive Order, which will send a strong message, to the residents and the business community in the County, that they will have some well-deserved breathing room regarding their payments of county taxes," said Business Council of Westchester Vice President and Council COO John Ravitz.
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