For cities with garbage fees, like Albany, Troy and soon, maybe even Niagara Falls NY, it really makes no difference to the city’s books, they still balance. Get the trash collection costs from a tax or a fee, the same kind of dollars flow into the city’s coffers.  But for you it makes a big difference at tax time.

IRS Topic Number 503 – Deductible Taxes, says that some taxes and fees you can’t deduct on Schedule A include federal income taxes, social security taxes, transfer taxes (or stamp taxes) on the sale of property, homeowner’s association fees, estate and inheritance taxes, and service charges for water, sewer, or trash collection.  So then, when will street sweeping become a service charge, because they did sweep in front of your house for you?

No one knows, Donta; but what we do know that the only tax write-offs anyone can do on having property is writing off the taxes associated with the assessed value of property – and the garbage fees do not qualify.  Property tax write-offs must be associated with property values, but cities like Albany and Troy gives exemptions to residents who are under an enhanced Star Program.  That means that senior citizens, veterans and perhaps others can get an exemption altogether from any garbage fees.  But don’t you believe that it is because they love you.  Star is a tax reduction program and the imposition of such properties may be seen as a tax increase that may cause cities from going over the tax cap.

So then, is any of this fair?

Even as a war veteran that has a tax exemption, I would say no.  Fair is fair.  Albany and Troy charges by the house, and not by the person (you know, “the person” – those flesh bagged, carbon units that the US Census Bureau count every 10-years for voting purposes; those things like you and me that actually create the trash).  So, your neighbor next door might had eight kids and several pets, and you live alone and have only enough garbage to fill one of those little plastic shopping bags that Albany hates, and you are paying the same amount that they are.

Let’s get real.  We learned from that Bubonic Plague that ravished Europe in the Middle Ages that sewage and trash collection is a public health and safety issue that actually saves society money, regardless of its price simply because it costs too much not to do it.

 So then, are our elected officials out of their minds and not understand what a city is? In the words of Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan when she rolled out their garbage fees in 2016.  According to WTEN Television, she said, “We’re not looking to make money on this; we’re looking to start to offset the cost to the city of providing this service.”

I can’t quite see it that way.