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Fidler, Other Pols Bill MSG For Real Estate Taxes City Council Member Lew Fidler and State Assemblyman Steven Cym-browitz and several legislative colleag-ues were recently joined on the steps of City Hall where they presented a real estate tax bill in the amount of $11.7 million dollars to the owners of Madison Square Garden (MSG) and urged Mayor Bloomberg to direct his Finance Commissioner to send out the bill at once. Madison Square Garden, which is owned by Cablevision, and also the owner of the New York Rangers, holds a unique and perpetual real estate tax exemption which expires only if the Knicks or Rangers do not play their home games at the Garden. “By virtue of the fact that Garden owners who happen to be the Rangers’ owners have locked the NHL players out and cancelled an entire season of hockey, the terms of the exemption have been violated,” said Fidler. “The law says that the Garden has lost its tax exemption,” said Fidler, who is an avid Ranger fan. Cymbrowitz, who is the prime sponsor of legislation in Albany, which would repeal the exemption, said, “I’m calling on Madison Square Garden, owner of the Rangers and Knicks, to be a good team player and fulfill their obligation to their city...Madison Square Garden no longer qualifies for their real estate tax exemption and should cough up the $11.7 million in property tax it owes.” Real Property Tax Law grants MSG a tax exemption in perpetuity but also states: “If one or both said teams [Ran-gers or Knicks] shall cease to play their home games in said property at any time, the tax exemption provided herein shall cease immediately and such property shall immediately be restored to the tax rolls and thereupon become subject to taxation and should be taxed pro rata for the unexpired portion of the taxable year.” “I don’t want to hear any hooey about the fact that they are not playing their games anywhere else either,” said Fidler. “Government didn’t grant the exemption so that the games would not be played in Oshkosh. We expect that playing hockey at MSG will bring in millions of dollars in revenue through jobs, ticket sales, the sales of related goods. We’ve been deprived of all that.” Fidler added, “I hope they can get this settled and we can see Ranger hockey again. But the days of the tax giveaway are over. This is not sour grapes over a West Side stadium. Mayor Bloomberg needs to send out the tax bill.”
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