Get the facts on the proposed tax cap - and learn why more New Yorkers prefer an income-based 'circuit breaker' approach to property tax relief.

What is a Circuit Breaker?

Just as a circuit breaker in a home protects the electrical system from an overload, a property tax circuit breaker would protect homeowners from a property tax bill that is too high relative to their household income. When asked to choose between the two proposals, New Yorkers overwhelmingly favor the circuit breaker approach over an arbitrary property tax cap.

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The Governor's Tax Cap Proposal - Summary

If signed into law, S.8720-A would establish a school property tax cap for all school districts other than the "Big 5" fiscally dependent city school districts, limiting school property taxes to increases of 4% over the total amount of taxes levied for the prior school year or 120% of CPI, whichever is less.

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The Governor's Tax Cap Proposal - Analysis

NYSUT and its coalition partners acknowledge the need for property tax relief, but an artificial cap - like the one endorsed by Gov. Paterson - would harm education programs while dooming efforts to close the achievement gap. Similar caps have failed in Massachusetts and other states because they do not address rising costs beyond the control of school districts, inevitably leading to cuts to education programs that serve children and other public services.

• Learn more about why a tax cap is wrong for New York

Worksheet: The Tax Cap Impact on Your School District's Funding

Use this simple, handy online worksheet to find out how much your district would have already lost if a tax cap had been implemented in 2005.

• Get the tax cap numbers for your school district