Notice from Senator Seward re: STAR exemption

you are a homeowner who receives a Basic STAR exemption (not the Enhanced STAR for senior citizens) for your school property taxes, you will need to register with the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance to keep getting the STAR exemption in 2014 and beyond. This is part of a new effort to eliminate fraud and protect property taxpayers.
HOW IT WORKS
Beginning this month, the State Tax Department will mail detailed instructions to all current Basic STAR recipients on how to register. The letter will include a personalized code that homeowners will need to register on-line or over the phone. The registration process will simply require homeowners to provide some basic information to confirm their eligibility for the STAR program.
KEY POINTS
This is a one-time process. Basic STAR recipients will not need to re-register every year. Senior citizens who receive the Enhanced STAR exemption are not affected by the new registration requirement.
A complete fact sheet is available on my website – click here.

WHY THIS IS NEEDED
A recent state comptroller’s report showed that taxpayers are being cheated out of tens of millions of dollars every year by individuals who are fraudulently obtaining STAR exemptions for their properties. This statewide accountability effort will help end that abuse. Most homeowners are doing the right thing, but when someone takes advantage of the system everyone else has to pay more in taxes. That’s not fair or legal.
If you have additional questions, please contact my office.
Sincerely,
P.S. If you are not currently receiving the Basic STAR exemption, I urge you to file an application with your local assessor and start taking advantage of this tax-saving tool.