New York Assembly Passes Bill to Quadruple Volunteer Firefighter Tax Credit

**TL;DR The New York Assembly unanimously passed bill A06790, which quadruples the state income tax credit for active volunteer firefighters and ambulance corps members from $200 to $800 for individuals and from $400 to $1,600 for joint filers, marking the first increase since 2006. The legislation also removes a barrier that previously forced volunteers to choose between the state tax credit and local property tax exemptions.

**Claim 1 The bill raises the state income tax credits for active volunteer firefighters and ambulance corps members.

**Evidence The Press-Republican reported that bill A06790 passed the Assembly and will raise the tax credits. Multiple outlets, including EMS1, News12, and the Democrat and Chronicle, confirmed the passage and the purpose of the bill. The bill passed unanimously with co-sponsors Matt Simpson and Michael Cashman.

**Verdict True

**Analysis All sources agree the bill passed and the credits are increased; none contradict the claim. This unanimous support indicates broad legislative backing for the measure.

**Claim 2 The bill increases the state income tax credit from $200 to $800 for individual volunteers and from $400 to $1,600 for qualifying joint filers.

**Evidence The Press-Republican article states the credit will rise to $800 per individual and $1,600 for joint filers. News12 and the Democrat and Chronicle reported identical figures, and no source listed a different amount. The legislation also allows volunteers to receive both the state credit and local property tax exemptions simultaneously.

**Verdict True

**Analysis Consistent reporting across independent outlets confirms the exact increase amounts. No outlet reported conflicting numbers, reinforcing the reliability of the figures.

**Claim 3 The state income tax credit for volunteer firefighters and ambulance corps members has remained unchanged since 2006.

**Evidence Edward Tase, past president of the Firefighters Association of the State of New York, told the Press-Republican that the credit had been the same since 2006. The Democrat and Chronicle noted this would be the first increase since the program’s inception in 2006. Tase described the increase as a 'golden gift' after two decades at the $200 level.

**Verdict True

**Analysis Multiple sources describe the credit as static for over fifteen years, with no prior changes mentioned. The lack of any prior amendment notes underscores the significance of this change.

Next, the bill moves to the New York State Senate for consideration, followed by a potential signature from Governor Kathy Hochul.