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Foreign governments will no longer have to pay property taxes on some of their diplomatic buildings in New York after a change in policy by the U.S. State Department. The NY Post reports the policy reversal will cost the city "untold millions in future lost revenue" as well as $260 million in unpaid back taxes—including a check from the Hungarian consulate worth $32.5 million that was canceled only days after the State Department's policy change. Undersecretary Patrick Kennedy explains to the Post the decision was made because other countries don't ask the U.S. to pay taxes on its overseas property: "Those countries have come to us and said, 'Wait a minute. Why is New York taxing us when we don't tax you?'" But, besides the loss of potential income, what has some surprised about the new policy is the political U-turn it represents for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who previously championed the city's right to collect those taxes when she was a senator. Though the decision may not win her much popularity at City Hall, she'll no doubt have a few new friends at the Indian and Mongolian embassies, both of which are now off the hook after losing a federal court battle over $46 million in back property taxes last year.
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How about taking that useless organization called the UN and park it somewhere like Senegal or in the Caribbean, so those fools can just keep enjoying the good life without contributing anything to the safety of the world?
Yeah you tell 'em! Maybe then those silly comprehensive global-warming studies they put out will be lost when rising sea levels swallow them up!
The "Indian and Mongolian embassies" would be in Washington DC. In NYC they're called consulates.
How was the city ever allowed to charge them tax in the first place?
While legally consulates are extraterritorial, I don't think they should be immune to local real estate taxes. I doubt US missions get such tax indulgencies.
How about all the money we spend trying to clean up the mess these crap ass countries get themselves into.
Can't feed your population? Tough shit! Let them starve to death and maybe those countries will be able to feed themselves after they reach a sustainable level. It will also lower the carbon footprint of those countries.
Wow. You've really got it all figured out. Does your policy extend to other states in our own country?
And if the U.S. should need help 50 years from now? I hope the Chinese and Indians are more generous in the future than you would have us be now.
Damn. Bloomberg was counting on that Hungarian money to pay for an expanded crackdown on superheroes in Times Sq.
It can not be done in a week. Do you realize how long it took to make Buda and Pest shake hands?
We are talking Hillary at the helm here, not some bimbo that walked away when her husband was getting a blow job from a kid. We are talking stubborn and stupid here.
I really think that thing they call their daughter was adopted. Both of them are fairly good looking. Chelsea looks like she was the third prize in an adoption program.
I think this is a perfect example of the hypocrocy Gov. Palin was seeking to avoid by focusing all her efforts on another run for national office instead of faking state aspirations.
It is just too ironic that this was done by the Democrat's massiah administration, by Democrat royalty, to (mostly) Democrats. Too fun!
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