Commissioner Arthur J. Roth

Commissioner's Message:

The family of New York State faced a heartbreaking year, and the employees of the Department of Taxation and Finance felt that pain acutely.  On September 11, 2001, the Department lost its office located in the World Trade Center, and along with it, 40 brave men and women who had dedicated their lives to serving the people of the Empire State.

I am proud of how our agency pulled together in those hours of darkness, not only to support each other and the families of our lost colleagues, but for all New Yorkers.  Later in this report you will read about Department employees being called upon to help in recovery efforts.  What you might not be aware of is how the events of September 11 could have very easily compromised the operations of our agency and imperiled our efforts to serve the taxpayers of New York State.

With the destruction of the World Trade Center volumes of taxpayer information were lost.  Department staff worked tirelessly in the months following the attacks to reconstruct these tax records.  Additionally, a new office had to be established to house our surviving employees from our World Trade Center operations.  Within a matter of weeks a new office was located, rented, refurbished and readied for operations.  Operations were reestablished so quickly that most taxpayers were never even aware that an interruption had occurred.

The Department also reached out to affected taxpayers, particularly business owners, to ease their concerns regarding tax filings in the months following the attacks as they worked feverishly to save their businesses.

No matter how many contingency plans have been prepared, or how many times you conduct rehearsals, nothing adequately prepares you to meet a tragedy of this magnitude.  Much of the response implemented by the Department was fashioned as we went along.  Fortunately, the Department lays claim to some of the most dedicated, qualified and professional public servants the State of New York has ever known.  I can not begin to express my pride in our employees and the service they provided New York's citizens in their time of need.

Arthur J. Roth
Commissioner