During his tenure as County Executive, he raised property taxes by double-digits – 23% – while shedding government services and responsibilities.
Knowing he would run for Governor one day and push Nassau County aside, Suozzi told a reporter his goal was to keep the property tax increase under 20% and that it would serve as a ”one-shot, one-time” tax increase — and no more.
Suozzi stated, “My objective will be to not raise taxes again during my term as county executive and to solve this problem once and for all.”
But, Suozzi waited until non-election years to hike property taxes. On numerous occasions, Tom Suozzi sought tax hikes that would exceed Governor Cuomo’s tax cap.
In addition to property tax hikes, Tom Suozzi imposed a 2.5% County Home Energy Tax, which was the equivalent of a 4.9 % property tax hike, on everything and anything used to heat or cool your home – natural gas, oil, electric, propane, wood and even coal.
Just before residents threw Tom out of office, he has proposed hiking property taxes another 16.5% and imposing a new County Food Tax to fill his appetite for a larger government – including a larger pay check. After all, he voted himself a 60% pay raise, and gave 4% annual raises to other elected officials.
The Suozzi strategy for balancing the county’s books echoed his actions when he took over in 1994 as Mayor of Glen Cove – where he raised property taxes 29% his first year.
Critics say Suozzi balanced Nassau County’s budgets on the backs of hardworking moms, dads, seniors and young people.
While Nassau residents were paying more to their County government than ever before, they were receiving fewer services in return. Mowing of county medians along major roads; street sweeping and parks maintenance all suffered under Tom Suozzi. Suozzi even proposed a budget that would cut snow removal, seasonal hires, traffic signals, assorted health department costs, crossing guards, OEM contracts, GIS mapping systems and drug treatment programs.
Despite 8 years of claims to the contrary, Tom Suozzi failed to address the causes underlying the County’s budget woes: labor costs and excessive patronage, too much borrowing and a broken property tax assessment system.