Even though the city's Department of Finance apologized, Queens co-op owners are still furious that a DOF computer error caused their property values to rise as much as 147%. (Higher property values mean higher property taxes.) The DOF says it'll cap the increases to 50%, but residents think that's BS: Sherry Davis, who lives in Douglaston, told the NY Times, "How it is possible that the values of our properties can go up by more than 100 percent during one of the biggest real estate declines in a generation? This is the last affordable part of New York City — this isn’t Chelsea or the Upper East Side for goodness’ sake — and we risk being priced out of our own neighborhood." more ›

The city's Department of Finance is beginning to enlist collection agencies to get their hands on $680 million in fines motorists have failed to pay since 2002, and some city drivers are calling the move too aggressive. "Collection agencies? That seems a bit harsh," driver Sophie Celha told the Daily News. "I think it's a cheap shot. They're getting enough money from the meters and tickets as it is." The nerve of them, asking people to actually pay their tickets. more ›

In recent years, drivers are finding that they have an easier time getting their parking tickets reduced, but a more difficult time having them waved off altogether. This is because of a little publicized settlement program introduced in 2005 by the city's Department of Finance. People who challenge citations have the opportunity to settle their tickets with a clerk if they choose to opt out of overturning them before a judge. But a Department spokesperson explains, “Judges are responsible for determining whether or not a violation has occurred, which wasn’t the case before..They were dismissing tickets, they were offering large reductions." Some are concerned however that the one of the reasons that tickets in those cases are getting waved less frequently is because administrative law judges, per diem employees, feel vulnerable to pressure from their superiors all the same and that "the pressure is on" to collect revenue under the new system. more ›

New York City's Department of Finance is projecting that real estate values in the city will remain nearly flat this fiscal (ending September) year. More precisely, it expects only a 1.4% increase in property values, versus an 18% climb this past year. more ›