620,000 NY-ers Eligible for BASIC STAR Have Not Renewed. Only 15 Days Left to Keep your STAR | WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR---65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. From The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.December 18, 2013:

Geoffrey Gloak of the New York STate Department of Taxation and Finance told WPCNR Tuesday that with 15 days to go to renew Basic Star Exemptions, 25% of homeowners eligible for the BASIC STAR EXEMPTION have not renewed yet.

Gloak in a statement to WPCNR wrote:.

“76% (more than 2 million) have registered, but more than 620,000 have not. Help us ensure that every eligible homeowner continues to receive the benefit they deserve! Average savings is $700 every year! ($740,000,000 in tax savings.)John, we expect that those homeowners who were receiving inappropriate STAR exemptions won’t register. If 1% of the exemptions is inappropriate, that translates to 19 million in savings for New York Taxpayers. “

The Basic STAR exemption is available on the primary residence of homeowners with incomes under $500,000. The registration stems from a Tax Department investigation that found thousands of taxpayers receiving STAR exemptions on more than one property.

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today reminded homeowners to register for the Basic STAR property tax exemption by the December 31, 2013 deadline.

With 15 days remaining to register, more than 2 million homeowners have registered for their Basic STAR exemptions. The registration facilitates Governor Cuomo’s 2013-14 Budget initiative to save New York taxpayers millions by eliminating inappropriate exemptions.

The Tax Department has directly mailed all of the 2.7 million homeowners who claimed the exemption last year, participated in 225 local meetings, fielded more than a half million phone calls, and registered thousands of people at local events including the State Fair.

Senior citizens receiving the Enhanced STAR exemption are not impacted by the new registration program.

To register, visit www.tax.ny.gov or call 518-457-2036. Online information is available in six languages, and translators stand ready to assist speakers of all languages via telephone. The Department is offering extended STAR Hotline hours – 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. weekdays, and 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays.