MONTICELLO – Sullivan County legislators last week made note of the State-approved December 1 repeal of the four percent Energy Tax, instituted during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when County finances faced a potentially perilous future.
The Energy Tax itself has been levied on commercial properties in Sullivan County since 1975 and will remain so. Any charge for electricity and various heating fuels is subject to a four percent surcharge remitted to the County.
Residential properties had long been exempted. However, on July 23, 2020, the Legislature unanimously removed that residential exemption, effective September 1, 2020, in order to prepare for anticipated fiscal impacts related to the pandemic. When those impacts ultimately did not fully materialize, legislators on August 19, 2021, unanimously agreed to reinstate the residential exemption, effective December 1, 2021 (as early as the State would allow).
Sullivan County Treasurer Nancy Buck noted that bills with the Energy Tax applied may still arrive in local mailboxes in coming weeks, as any charges generated in November remain subject to the tax.