2738 - Exemption from taxes, assessments and certain fees.

§  2738.  Exemption from taxes, assessments and certain fees. 1. It is  hereby determined that the creation of the authority  and  the  carrying  out  of its corporate purposes is in all respects for the benefit of the  people of the participating counties and  the  state  and  is  a  public  purpose and the authority shall be regarded as performing a governmental  function  in  the exercise of the powers conferred upon it by this title  and shall not be required to pay  any  taxes  or  assessments  upon  any  property  acquired  or owned by it or under its jurisdiction, control or  supervision or upon  its  activities,  income  and  operations,  or  any  filing,  recording  or transfer fees or taxes in relation to instruments  filed, recorded or transferred by it or on its behalf. The construction,  use, occupation or possession of any property owned by the authority  or  any  participating county, including improvements thereon, by any person  or public corporation under a lease, lease and  sublease  or  any  other  agreement   shall  not  operate  to  abrogate  or  limit  the  foregoing  exemption, notwithstanding that the lessee, user, occupant or person  in  possession  shall  claim  ownership  for  federal  income  tax purposes.  Mortgages made or financed, directly or  indirectly,  by  the  authority  shall  be  exempt  from  the mortgage recording taxes imposed by article  eleven of the tax law. The authority shall be deemed a public  authority  for the purposes of section four hundred twelve of the real property tax  law.    2.  Any  bonds  issued pursuant to this title together with the income  therefrom as well as the property of the authority shall be exempt  from  taxes,  except  for  estate  or  gift  taxes  on such bonds and taxes or  transfers. The state hereby covenants with the purchasers and  with  all  subsequent  holders  and  transferees  of  bonds issued by the authority  pursuant to this title,  in  consideration  of  the  acceptance  of  any  payment  for  the bonds, that the bonds of the authority issued pursuant  to this title and the income therefrom and  all  revenues,  moneys,  and  other  property pledged to secure the payment of such bonds shall at all  times be free from taxation, except for estate or  gift  taxes  on  such  bonds and taxes on transfers.