Westchester looks to extend tax deadlines for those financially impacted by COVID-19

The state and federal levels extended tax deadlines to July 15, and now Westchester County is looking to do the same for taxpayers financially impacted by the coronavirus.

News 12 Staff

•

Apr 2, 2020, 9:47 PM

•

Updated 1,478 days ago

Share:

The state and federal levels extended tax deadlines to July 15, and now Westchester County is looking to do the same for taxpayers financially impacted by the coronavirus.

"If you have economic hardships, we're gonna delay your due date to April 30 to July 15 - no penalties,” says County Executive George Latimer.

The proposal is far from enacted, but there is a county Legislature meeting Friday to discuss it.

The extension would only cover Westchester County taxes.

If a town chooses not to opt into this and would rather collect the late fees, that’s in their authority and they can do what they want.

About 65% of tax bills go to school districts, roughly 20% to county and the rest to local municipalities.

Estate tax attorney Denise Ward says the county extending its tax deadline isn't enough.

"It’s not enough. It helps, anything helps, but it’s not enough. It needs to be more and in fact it’s almost greedy if they don't,” she says.

Since Ward closed her office March 17, she's lost 60% of her income and admits she can't afford her tax this month.

"We're bearing this burden and we need help,” she says.

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER - Cases in the tri-state area

MORE: LIVE BLOG - Coronavirus updates from the tri-state area and beyond

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Coronavirus stories from News 12

GET INFORMATION: Coronavirus details from the CDC

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION: What you can do to protect yourself

GET THE FACTS: What you need to know about coronavirus

BY THE NUMBERS: The latest statistics from the CDC

More from News 12

0:28