EMS Volunteers Decry Hochul Tax Break Switcheroo

New York's struggling volunteer fire departments and ambulance corps face another setback under Gov. Kathy Hochul's tax relief switcheroo, which requires first responders to choose between an increased income tax credit or a property tax exemption.

The governor's move comes as emergency service organizations struggle to recruit and retain volunteers, raising the prospect of communities having to replace unpaid first responders with costly professional firefighters and ambulance crews.

According to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York, replacing volunteer firefighters with paid personnel statewide would cost taxpayers $4.7 billion annually and increase local property taxes by an average of 28.4%.

The Legislature unanimously approved a measure allowing volunteers to collect both benefits while increasing the annual income tax credit from $200 to $800. Hochul signed the legislation but called for changes eliminating the combined benefit and postponing the increase until 2027.

“Assembly Republicans put forward a serious proposal to reward the men and women who risk their lives protecting our communities. Albany Democrats answered with a watered-down alternative, and now the governor wants to weaken it even further,” charged Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano.

“One-party rule has failed New Yorkers,” he continued. “Our governor is addicted to making campaign promises she has no intention of keeping, while the Assembly supermajority asks how high when she tells them to jump. New Yorkers deserve leadership, not political obedience. Frankly, it’s pitiful.”

DeStefano, a Medford firefighter for more than four decades, warned that diminishing financial incentives threaten a volunteer emergency service system already suffering from declining membership.

New York has lost approximately one-third of its volunteer firefighters over the past two decades, leaving departments struggling to cover emergency calls as training demands increase and members juggle jobs and family responsibilities.

Mastic Beach Fire Commissioner Bill Biondi previously warned that continued staffing shortages could force departments to hire paid firefighters, substantially increasing property taxes. He noted that fire organizations across the state requested a $2,500 income tax credit and the retention of the property tax deduction, which can be up to 10% for eligible volunteers.

“Our first responders deserve more than political fanfare and empty promises. They deserve a government that keeps its word,” DeStefano said.