Nassau grants tax breaks to LI auto parts supplier 

Tax breaks from Nassau County have led an automobile parts supplier to expand in Port Washington instead of in New Jersey or the Midwest, company executives said.

The county’s Industrial Development Agency last week granted Tonsa Automotive Inc. a sales-tax exemption of up to $125,000 on the purchase of construction materials and equipment so it can consolidate two locations in Port Washington into one.

Tonsa also received $49,800 off the mortgage recording tax and a property-tax deal that freezes the rate for three years, followed by increases of 2 percent in each of the following 17 years, said IDA chairman Richard Kessel.

In return for the IDA help, Tonsa will purchase and renovate 83 Harbor Rd. for $14 million and use it as a headquarters. The company also will add six people to its payroll of 48.

Tonsa attorney William Cornachio said it will retain ownership of its current headquarters and warehouse at 30 Seaview Blvd., which likely will be rented to another business. The company will leave another warehouse that it rents at 27A Seaview Blvd., he said.

Tonsa was founded in 1981 by Tony Bobelian and Santo Muradian, and its name is a combination of their first names. In recent years the company has expanded beyond the metropolitan area to other U.S. regions and overseas.

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.