Joseph Spector writes on LoHud.com - ” Senate Republicans offered a plan Thursday to try to curb the state’s sky-high property tax burden.

But the plan was quickly met with questions over how Republicans would pay for the $2.6 billion proposal amid a $9 billion budget deficit for the 2010-11 fiscal year and the likelihood of cuts to programs and services.

Republicans, who are seeking in November to win back control of the chamber after losing it in 2008, said their proposal needs to be a priority during budget negotiations.

They want to resurrect many of the tax-relief programs that have been proposed or were once in effect at the state Capitol, from restoring a tax-rebate check for homeowners to linking property taxes to household incomes.

They also want to limit mandates on schools and enact a school-property-tax cap, which Senate Republicans passed when they were in the majority in 2008.

The tax cap, which was backed by Gov. David Paterson, was not approved in the Democratic-controlled Assembly.”

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