Why Long Island property taxes are so high — and where the money goes

Peter Zhao enjoys living in Westbury. He’s got a backyard garden to nurture, a driveway to park his car and a school system that has encouraged his sons’ passion for art and music.

But he doesn’t love paying more than $15,600 in property taxes, which creates stress for him and his partner, Jennifer, as they try to manage their bills.

“I want my kids to stay here. I want them to enjoy the same things I've enjoyed before, but at the same time, it’s quite a burdensome amount of money,” he said.

Newsday interviewed six Long Island homeowners and compiled information from 12 town assessors to see where their tax money goes and why bills are so high. The data shows how the region’s reliance on property taxes to fund costly schools and services leaves many residents caught between what they value about living here and what they can afford.  

Long Islanders give the region high ratings for quality of life, citing low crime rates, highly rated schools and extensive town activities. But nearly a third of respondents in a recent Newsday/Siena poll said property taxes are the greatest threat to their family finances.

Nassau County ranks seventh nationally with a median property tax bill of $12,473, while Suffolk County ranks 12th, at $11,001, according to data from Cotality, an Irvine, California-based property data and analytics company.

“We're one of the highest-taxed areas in the country,” said John Cameron, chair of the Long Island Regional Planning Council. “About two-thirds of the tax bill is your schools.”

A review of sample tax bills shared with Newsday by several town assessors found about two-thirds commonly went toward schools.

Long Islanders described being conflicted about the trade-off between paying taxes to support local services and bills that feel increasingly unaffordable.

Anthony Cimaglia, 43, said he pays about $10,000 in property taxes on his Wantagh home after grieving his tax assessment to lower his bill.

He doesn’t mind paying taxes as long as the money is well spent, but municipalities should communicate more clearly about how they’re using taxpayer funds, he said.

“You work so hard, you do everything right,” Cimaglia said. “The tax bill just keeps climbing.”  

Why taxes are high

Long Island’s local governments rely heavily on property taxes for funding, contributing to the region’s high property tax bills, said Adam Langley, associate director of tax policy at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit.

Relatively high property values and levels of local government spending also contribute to high property taxes on Long Island, he said.

While Long Island stands out nationally for its high tax bills, its reliance on property taxes is comparable to that of other affluent suburban areas, such as Westchester County and Bergen County, New Jersey.

“When you look at those peer counties, Long Island doesn’t stand out as much,” Langley said.

Long Islanders especially debate the value of higher school taxes, which make up a large portion of their property tax bills. While some say they are worth the investment in the next generation, others question whether the money could be spent more efficiently.

“There’s no doubt we have a very good school system here on the Island, but it could be done better and cheaper,” retired teacher Alex Filosa, 60, said. He pays about $15,000 a year in property taxes on his home in West Islip.

‘Goes up every year’

Every December, Wayne and Joan Breimann wait with tense anticipation for what they call their annual Christmas gift from the Town of Brookhaven — a property tax bill.

They make bets on how much more they’ll need to pay that year. Maybe $700 more? Or $800 more?

The couple, who do not have children, currently pay a little over $15,000 a year in property taxes. Nearly $11,000 of that goes to the local school district.

When Wayne Breimann bought the Manorville home in the 1980s, he recalls paying $3,000 a year in property taxes. But the bill has risen steadily and jumped after the couple added a second story to their three-bedroom ranch.

“The school tax goes up every year,” he said. “There's going to be a point where we don't have enough savings to keep up with that.”

The couple said they understand the importance of investing in schools, but taxes have been rising faster than their income.

“It’s just frustrating because my house needs a roof,” Joan Breimann said, citing a $14,000 estimate for the improvement. “I don’t think either one of us will be able to retire.”

Homeowners grieve to lower tax bills

Long Island homeowners can seek to lower their tax bills by filing grievances every year, experts said.

“There’s no downside to filing a grievance. Your assessment cannot be increased for filing a grievance,” said Jordan Rubin, a Nassau County property tax expert at Ownwell, a Texas-based assessment appeal company that charges a contingency fee for successful appeals. “If you don’t file a grievance, your assessment won’t go down.”

The issue is particularly significant in Nassau County, which hasn’t reassessed properties at fair market value since 2021. Last year, about 81% of residents, or nearly 184,000 households, succeeded in challenges to reduce their assessments, which was the highest success rate in 11 years, Newsday previously reported.

About 54,000 households grieved their tax assessment in Suffolk County last year, Newsday has reported.

Rising home prices over the past five years have made the county’s tax rolls more inaccurate and harder to defend against challenges from taxpayers, said Jeff Gold, a Bellmore-based attorney and former Nassau County Assessment Review commissioner.

“In what world should someone have to grieve to be properly taxed every year?” said Gold, who runs a Facebook group with more than 40,000 members where he offers tips on grieving tax assessments.

The school tax debate

Scott Diamond, a longtime member of Gold’s group, said he has grieved his tax assessment every year since 2018. The 76-year-old Levittown homeowner said he pays about $15,500 in annual property taxes, with about three-quarters of that total going to Levittown schools.

Diamond, whose daughter graduated from MacArthur High School in 2002, said he isn’t happy about paying so much in school taxes.

“It’s become ridiculous to the point where I routinely — and ineffectually — vote no on the school budget,” Diamond said.

Diamond said he was “incensed” over an audit published earlier this month by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli that found the district had accumulated excessive reserves beyond what was needed to fund operations.

Since the start of the audit period in July 2019, the Levittown district has steadily spent down its reserves on capital projects, including roof replacements, school safety enhancements and new fire alarm systems, district Superintendent Todd Winch told Newsday.

He said although he understands taxpayers’ concerns, the district’s budgeting practices have helped it avoid taking out debt to pay for improvements. That saved $30 million in interest costs Levittown schools would have incurred if it borrowed money to fund its capital improvements, Winch said, citing an estimate the district provided to taxpayers.

“None of us want to be taxed more than we absolutely need to be taxed, myself included,” Winch said. “But the money that is surplus goes back into the buildings. It’s going back to the kids.”

Some Long Islanders said they see value in paying school taxes to support children in their community.

“That keeps the value of my house high,” said Richard Russ, 70, of Massapequa, whose children graduated from high school two decades ago. “But to write that check twice a year and look how it went up, it’s a bit disheartening.”

For Peter  Zhao in Westbury, paying his tax bills has meant sometimes dipping into his retirement savings, and he has thought about leaving for another state where property tax bills might be lower.

But his children have been thriving in Westbury schools, where he finds the teachers are more accessible than he remembers teachers being during his own schooling in Queens.

“I was thinking at one point I’ve got to move away because it's so difficult,” he said. “Every year is like a breaking moment. But my kids love it here.”