Gov. Hochul accused of tax rebate ‘gimmick’ in tight race with Zeldin as election nears

Nearly 2 million New York voters are getting tax relief from the state government led by Gov. Kathy Hochul — just as polls show her race tightening against Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin ahead of the looming Nov. 8 election.

The first batch of tax refunds for New Yorkers, who claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Credit on their 2021 state returns — first revealed by the Times Union on Wednesday — were sent last Friday with roughly 1.8 million people receiving an average of $270 each, according to the state Department of Taxation and Finance.

Her political rivals say the move is just the latest instance of Hochul, who has denied numerous allegations of play-to-play schemes involving campaign donors, leveraging the powers of incumbency in her bid for a full term in office.

“This is everything that’s wrong with New York in a nutshell,” GOP state Chair Nick Langworthy told The Post about the timing of the rebate checks.

“Kathy Hochul and the Democrats raid your paychecks, then give you a few crumbs back and expect you to be grateful.”

Hochul was blasted by political rivals after another wave of refund checks hit New Yorkers’ mailboxes ahead of the June Democratic primary, which included a letter attesting to her role in securing the tax break.

Her name is not located anywhere near the correspondence with voters this year, the department confirmed Thursday, a fact that is hardly sparing Hochul from criticism like ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo faced over similar moves during his 2018 campaign for a full term.

Republicans say rebate checks will backfire this time around as Zeldin assails Hochul over rising crime, inflation, alleged corruption and skyrocketing state spending amid polling showing her with a lead hovering between the single and double digits.

“New Yorkers are fed up, pissed off and they’re not going to be fooled by this election season gimmick,” Langworthy said in a statement.

“Governor Hochul worked with the legislature to secure tax relief for New Yorkers in the State Budget, and given rising costs and national inflation, the Department of Tax and Finance has been working to deliver these benefits to eligible New Yorkers as quickly as practicable,” Hochul spokeswoman Hazel Crampton-Hays said in a statement.