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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says businesses in New York State should take advantage of a federal tax break and hire unemployed veterans of recent wars.

With unemployment among veterans at 7.3 percent in the state, including 3,000 unemployed veterans in the North Country, Gillibrand said more businesses should look into the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which was expanded earlier this year as part of the federal economic stimulus package.

"Most people don't know about it," Gillibrand said in a Tuesday conference call. "The measure offers a tax break for any business that hires a veteran, which is a win-win for businesses trying to grow their opportunities during these tough economic times and for our veterans returning home to their families and in need of a good paying job."

In return for hiring a veteran, businesses can write off 40 percent of the first $6,000 paid to a veteran, who need to have been out of service for no more than five years and must have spent at least four weeks of the previous year on unemployment.

Gillibrand said she's writing to every chamber of commerce in the state to encourage businesses to take advantage of the tax break and hire veterans. She said veterans have an "unrivaled work ethic."

"Any business would be proud to hire these well-trained and well-educated veterans with top-notch leadership and decision-making skills," she said.

Gillibrand also wants to create a veterans business center that would help veterans tap into federal grant programs to start new businesses or grow their existing businesses. To help veterans who are homeless, Gillibrand is also co-sponsoring legislation that would create a check-off box on federal income tax returns where taxpayers could provide $3 to a program that assists homeless veterans.

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Contact Chris Knight at 891-2600 ext. 24 or cknight@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.