{"id":376109,"date":"2026-10-18T06:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T06:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/376109\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T06:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T06:02:13","slug":"hochul-quadruples-tax-credit-for-new-york-volunteer-firefighters-emts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/376109\/","title":{"rendered":"Hochul Quadruples Tax Credit for New York Volunteer Firefighters, EMTs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (VINnews) \u2014 New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation increasing the state\u2019s personal income tax credit for eligible volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers from $200 to $800, quadrupling the benefit as the state seeks to recognize first responders and encourage recruitment.<\/p>\n


\n
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\tJoin our WhatsApp group<\/a> <\/p>\n


\n\t\t
\n\t\tSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email<\/a> \n<\/p>\n

The credit for married couples will increase from $400 to $1,600, Hochul announced during an event Friday at the Village of Hempstead Volunteer Fire Department on Long Island.
Hochul said the expanded credit is intended to recognize the sacrifices made by volunteer first responders, including time away from their families, missed holidays and the demands of responding to emergencies while balancing work and other responsibilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to do something in return on behalf of the people of the great State of New York, and put a little more money back in your pockets as a small form of gratitude,\u201d Hochul said.<\/p>\n

The governor said the tax credit could also help address recruitment challenges facing volunteer fire departments, which depend on community members willing to dedicate their time to emergency response.<\/p>\n

Hochul also announced $1 million in state funding for the Village of Hempstead Volunteer Fire Department to purchase new radio equipment. The investment will allow the department to replace outdated radios that have limited functionality inside burning buildings, improving communications among firefighters operating in dangerous conditions.<\/p>\n

The funding is intended to help first responders communicate more effectively and obtain assistance when needed during emergencies.<\/p>\n

Hochul also highlighted the state\u2019s Volunteer Fire Infrastructure and Response Equipment, or V-FIRE, program, saying New York has invested a total of $50 million through the initiative to help volunteer fire departments purchase firefighting equipment, protective gear and improve facilities.<\/p>\n

The state funding is designed to ease financial pressure on local communities by helping departments cover costs that might otherwise fall on local taxpayers, she said.<\/p>\n

The event was attended by state lawmakers, including state Sen. Monica Martinez and Assemblymember Karen McMahon, who have supported the legislation.<\/p>\n

Hochul praised the state\u2019s volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers for their commitment to protecting their communities, saying New York must continue supporting the volunteers who provide essential emergency services.<\/p>\n

She also called for expanding the volunteer firefighter ranks, saying she hoped the state\u2019s approximately 80,000 firefighters would grow to 90,000 or 100,000.<\/p>\n

The legislation\u2019s effective date and specific eligibility requirements should be confirmed against the enacted bill before publication.<\/p>\n

Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (VINnews) \u2014 New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation increasing the state\u2019s personal income tax credit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376110,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9,11,10],"class_list":["post-376109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}