Long Island's middle class works hard for their money. With the revamped STAR tax rebate process, residents will have to work just a bit harder to get their check.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer said property owners must apply for their tax rebate this year, as opposed to last year when the check was sent automatically. The application process is intended to distribute the money more fairly, he said.

"I want it to go to the middle class taxpayers, not the super-wealthy," Spitzer said.

The governor characterized the application process as simple, saying homeowners can apply online or through standard mail. The size of the rebate depends on income level, Spitzer said, and each person needs their own "STAR code" to apply.

State Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset) said therein lays the catch. Long Islanders won't receive their "STAR code" until late September and the application is due Nov. 30.

"Some people won't get the check, some won't get the letter in the mail," Marcellino said. "That happens all the time on a normal basis. [The application is] just going to cause confusion and problems."

Fran Winter, a waitress at On Parade Diner in Woodbury, said she'll submit her application nonetheless. "I think it's worth it in a way, because the middle class is on who gets hit hardest. We're not rich, we're not poor. So we wind up paying for everything."

To watch Gov. Eliot Spitzer's take on the new STAR tax rebate application process, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.

Related Information: NYS Dept. of Taxation and Finance