Bill seeks to end 'country club loophole' for tax assessments
ALBANY — A novel proposal aimed at further taxing posh private golf country clubs, especially ones that include the name Trump, seems to be a long shot in Albany.
The bill would allow local officials statewide to pass laws that would permit tax assessments for private golf courses to be based on “the property’s highest and best use." That means a local government could tax a private golf course based on the prospective value of the land if it were to be developed for condominiums or other commercial use, a system opponents of the bill say is unfair.
The “most egregious” case of country clubs avoiding a bigger tax bill is the Trump National Golf Course in Westchester, supporters of the bill said. The private club boasts a 75,000-square-foot clubhouse with five-star service and the largest pool in Westchester County on 140 acres 45 minutes from Manhattan. President Donald Trump valued the club at $50 million on his required financial disclosure record as president, but his attorney in seeking a lower property tax bill valued the property at $1.5 million.
The legislative proposal is forcing one of the first showdowns between the progressive leadership and the more moderate suburban wing on Long Island and in Westchester that sealed majority control of the Senate for Democrats in last year’s elections. At this point, the Long Island moderates opposed to the measure have the upper hand.
Read more: https://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/private-gold-clubs-tax-assessments-1.30602880
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