Laws & Taxes

Governor Bruce Rauner today toured Phibro Animal Health, an animal health and nutrition company, and discussed changes the state needs to get Illinois back on track

As the 2017 Florida Legislature begins, Realtors^® from across the state are ready to advocate for legislative priorities that will protect homeowners, promote business and community growth, safeguard Florida’s natural resources, ensure fair and transparent real estate transactions and provide Floridians with more affordable housing options.

Standing with Bayberry Community homeowners in Liverpool, NY, and amidst rising local anxiety about looming changes to tax policy that could hurt homeowners, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today launched a push to preserve popular, but increasingly at...

If you have been involved in any type of accident that is the result of negligence on the part of another party, you may be entitled to compensation to help you pay for your medical expenses now and in the future, payment for any lost wages you may ha...

Long Island County Executives today endorsed Governor Cuomo's plan to reduce property taxes by empowering voters to approve locally-designed plans that deliver shared, coordinated services and lower the cost of local government. The Governor’s groundbreaking proposal would require county executives to convene local government to meetings to develop shared service plans that reduce duplicative spending and find real, recurring property tax savings.

Congressman Brad Sherman, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, joined Congressman Mark Sanford (R-SC) in introducing legislation that would permanently prohibit the use of guarantee fees (g-fees) as a budget offset

U.S. Rep. Dennis A. Ross (FL-15), Senior Deputy Majority Whip, made the following statement in response to President Trump’s executive order on border security

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a lawsuit against STAR Exemption Advisor, YCA Corp. and its business owner Arie Gal, for allegedly scamming thousands of new homeowners out of at least $1.5 million by charging them excessive fees to enroll them in the Basic STAR Exemption Program, which is otherwise free.  The lawsuit, filed in Nassau County Supreme Court, seeks to provide full restitution to all those affected, and a complete accounting to identify all consumers who are entitled to such refunds. The lawsuit also seeks additional costs, damages, and to permanently enjoin the respondents from marketing any Basic Star rebate or property tax reduction services within the State of New York

According to results from a Homeownership Poll conducted by the Siena Research Institute (SRI), 84 percent of New York voters supported the NY First Home proposal that would create a tax-free savings account to help New Yorkers save for a first home. S...

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the groundbreaking of a $17 million housing development in Jamaica, Queens. The mixed-use housing development will feature 44 units and provide tenants with behavioral health concerns a number of supportive ment...

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today announced that New Yorkers have claimed more than $38 million with a tax credit available to those who’ve installed solar energy systems at their primary residence. Between 2012 and 2014, claims for the Solar Energy Systems Equipment Credit increased 194%. The Tax Department received 9,041 claims for the credit in 2014, up from 3,074 in 2012

Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) Executive Director Audra Hamernik today applauded Governor Bruce Rauner for signing Senate Bill 2921, legislation that preserves an incentive for private investment in affordable housing throughout Illinois...

Rep. Jim Costa (CA-16) released the following statement after the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act was signed by the President and enacted into law.  The WIIN Act includes language to assist in reducing the impacts of California’s drought crisis and to build additional long-term drought resiliency

Governor Bruce Rauner today signed Senate Bill 2814, the Future Energy Jobs bill, at a ceremony at Riverdale High School in Port Byron. The bipartisan legislation ensures the Quad Cities and Clinton power facilities remain open for another 10 years, sa...

The Department of Finance, Real Property Assessment Division, would like to remind homeowners that due to a change in requirements, those residents who have qualified for exemptions in the past must now file a state resident income tax form or risk bei...

The Massachusetts State Department of Revenue has approved property values and tax rates for the Town of Framingham for Fiscal Year 2017. The new values and new tax rates can be found on the Assessing Department website

President-elect Trump has many difficult fiscal tasks ahead – one of which is to promote long-overdue infrastructure construction at a time when the national debt exceeds our entire economy and interest costs alone are eating us alive.

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance today reminded veterans to take advantage of the valuable year-round tax exemptions and credits available to them, their families, and employers

Rep. Steve Barrar (R-Chester/Delaware) joins Rep. Ryan Warner (R-Fayette/Westmoreland), who is the maker of legislation that would allow municipalities to offer income and/or property tax credits to volunteer first responders, in calling on Gov. Tom Wo...

Assemblyman Dave Rible, the Republican conference leader, plans to introduce a constitutional amendment Thursday prohibiting a repeal of the estate-tax cut after it is fully phased-out on Jan. 1, 2018.

A recent fire at a State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase College student housing building has spotlighted the importance of requiring all college dormitories to have automatic fire sprinklers, according to leaders of the New York Fire Sprinkl...

Housing advocates are expressing concern over the current proposal to fund the Transportation Trust Fund. It is estimated that tax cuts under the proposal would create a $1.4 billion budget deficit. Ahead of Friday’s vote in the New Jersey Legislature on the proposal, Network President and Chief Executive Officer Staci Berger issued the following statement

As part of his continued efforts to help homeowners reduce their property tax burden, County Executive Edward Mangano will be hosting a series of Property Tax Exemptions Workshops in October at libraries and community meeting halls throughout Nassau Co...

Ulster County Executive Mike Hein chose a vacant classroom in the County-owned Business Resource Center (BRC) to deliver his 2017 Executive Budget.  The proposed spending plan calls for reducing the tax burden and protecting property taxpayers again this year yet maintains essential services and continues unprecedented investment in the County’s infrastructure. 

Led by U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, 41 Senate Republicans today wrote to Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew encouraging the Treasury ...

U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford (R-Okla.) joined 41 Senate Republicans on Wednesday in sending a letter to  Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew encouraging the Treasury Department to abandon proposed regulations that would significantly increase the estate tax burden on family farms and businesses. The proposed regulations, if finalized, would contradict long-standing legal precedent and greatly discourage families from continuing to operate and grow their farms and businesses for eventual transfer to future generations

Today at noon, the City of New Orleans will list over 170 new adjudicated properties available for sale at CivicSource.com external link. These properties were adjudicated to the City due to unpaid property taxes. The properties went unsold at tax sale...

The Justice Department announced today that a Johnstown, Pennsylvania, landlord has agreed to pay $30,000 to resolve allegations that he discriminated against families with children in violation of the Fair Housing Act

MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. today announced that Judge Mark L. Wolf of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts adopted and incorporated Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell’s Report and Recommendation, which granted summary judgment to defendants and applied the well-settled law of the First Circuit and the Massachusetts Land Court in affirming Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc.’s (MERS) role in mortgages in the state.

Tennessee Housing Development Agency has launched a new interactive map with details on every active or under-construction apartment community in the state built or rehabbed with the assistance of federal tax credits.