We, the undersigned, represent the majority of directors who serve on the Board of Directors of the Great Neck Plaza Business Improvement District, a 21-year old organization representing commercial property owners and office and retail tenants in the Village of Great Neck Plaza. Each of us currently or in the past have owned commercial property or a business in Great Neck Plaza, and several of us live in Great Neck.

Over the past several years, all of us have voiced concerns about rising school property taxes and the impact they have on business. For the 2011-2012 school year, the Great Neck Board of Education is proposing an increase slightly less than 2 percent.

While we appreciate the board’s efforts to keep the increase low, it is still an increase, and as such continues to put an added burden on shopkeepers and commercial property owners already overburdened with stifling taxes.

Our governor’s proposal for a 2 percent property tax cap has obviously had an impact on our school district as it has on school districts across Long Island (the majority of districts are proposing either budget decreases or increases within the proposed cap).

But it is now time for our district, and all taxing authorities, to go one step further and place a moratorium on tax increases, or better yet, provide tax reductions. Without a halt or actual tax reductions, commercial property assessments will continue to decline, which only places even greater tax burdens on homeowners.

Unemployment remains high, real estate remains flat, vacant stores still dot our main streets and office buildings still have too many vacancies. This is a time for extraordinary fiscal restraint and tax relief.

We hope the school district …and all our other local taxing authorities… are listening.

Remember to vote on the school district budget on May 17.

Bruce Bent, President

Jay Corn, Vice President

Jeff Moss, Treasurer

Peter Andreasian

Robert Huhem

Michael Lamoretti

Phil Raices

Fred Simon