New York City Calls on Trump to Return $300 Annual Tax Break
Trump's campaign said he received the STAR abatement in error.
— -- New York City is asking for Donald Trump to return a roughly $300 annual tax break his campaign says he has been receiving in error for several years.
The school district property tax break, called the STAR Program, is available to households with an annual income of $500,000 or less. Trump applied for the state program in 1999 before there was an income cap on the program.
New York City is now asking for Trump to return the money, which appears to have been awarded in error. It was not clear how much money was involved, but the cap on income went into effect in July 2011.
“We’re looking into what happened in this case, but as Mr. Trump’s spokesman confirmed, he should not have received the abatement, and should return the full value to State taxpayers,” Amy Spitalnick, a spokeswoman for the New York City mayor's office, told ABC News in a statement.
The city couldn't say whether Trump was actually qualified for the tax break. The call for the Republican candidate to reimburse the taxpayer money is based solely on the campaign’s public statements on the matter.
According to documents on the city's website, the city Department of Finance checks with the state to verify income annually.
The state Department of Finance and Taxation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, said Tuesday that Trump receiving the tax credit was an oversight.
"With all due respect, I don't think he would have noticed that," Lewandowski said. "He was not aware of it until today. Maybe $300 on other peoples taxes is a big deal, but not on his."
Crain's New York first reported Tuesday that Trump has been receiving the STAR tax break.
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