Homeowners receiving windows and doors to reduce noise from the new Tappan Zee Bridge construction shouldn”™t have to pay taxes on the grants to pay for them, according to U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey.
Lowey, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Westchester and Rockland counties, sent a letter Tuesday to John Koskinen, commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.
“It is essential that my constituents are not penalized by the IRS for taking advantage of grant funding to mitigate the construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge,” Lowey wrote.
The New NY Bridge Community Benefits Program is offering $1.7 million in grants for noise reduction for eligible homes in the vicinity of the as-of-yet-unnamed replacement bridge for the 60-year-old Tappan Zee.
A recent report by The Journal News outlined that residents in the area were told they might have to pay taxes on the sound-reduction measures because they represented receiving something of value. Although the IRS hasn”™t ruled on the issue, a state liaison to the bridge construction project told the News that residents wouldn”™t be taxed for the installations.
