Westchester, Suffolk Counties Partner to Battle IRS Regulation Limiting Charitable Deductions

From left, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Westchester County Executive George Latimer

WHITE PLAINS—Westchester County Executive George Latimer and Suffolk County Steve Bellone staged a press conference today outside of the local Internal Revenue Service office here to announce a partnership to fight a new IRS regulation that would result in significant tax increases for many taxpayers in their respective counties.

Earlier this year, in response to the federal tax reform law signed into law in January that caps SALT (state and local tax) deductions to $10,000, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation in April that authorized New York municipalities to establish charitable funds to which homeowners may contribute, and later receive, both income and property tax credits. The federal tax workaround was an attempt to mitigate the SALT deductions cap on state taxpayers and particularly on those who reside in affluent New York suburban counties like Westchester and Suffolk counties.