What to Know
- The tax breaks were intended for senior citizen homeowners
- A total of 3,246 properties continued to receive tax breaks after the homeowner had died
- The Department of Finance says it is hiring staff to fix the problem
The city failed to collect $59.2 million in tax revenue over a period of six years because it was giving tax breaks to the dead, according to an audit by the New York City Comptroller's office.
An audit announced Thursday found that tax breaks intended for senior citizen homeowners continued to be applied to properties long after the intended recipient had died.
The Department of Finance is required to reevaluate each senior's qualifications for the tax break every two years. The report found it had not done so for the past 10 years.
A total of 3,246 properties continued to receive tax breaks after the homeowner had died.
The Department of Finance says it inherited the problem and is hiring additional staff to fix it.
This is the department's sixth audit under Comptroller Scott Stringer.
