Testing lab gets tax breaks to move from Suffolk to Nassau
Jibreel Sarij, CEO of Acutis Diagnostics. The clinical laboratory plans to expand with a move from Suffolk County to Nassau, executives said. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Acutis Diagnostics Inc., a clinical laboratory, has been granted tax breaks to move from Suffolk County to Nassau, instead of New Jersey, officials said Thursday.
The Nassau County Industrial Development Agency board approved a $37,500 reduction in the mortgage recording tax and a sales-tax exemption of up to $485,000 on construction materials and equipment for the lab’s proposed 40,000-square-foot facility at 400 Karin Lane in Hicksville. Property taxes will be reduced for 20 years, with the tax rate frozen for the first seven years followed by increases of 1.84 percent per year for 13 years.
IDA board chairman Richard Kessel said the tax incentives were generous but Acutis has grown from two employees to about 90 in three years. “We knew we needed to keep this company from moving to New Jersey,” he said, adding the lab will be a boost to downtown Hicksville.
In return, Acutis has promised to create the equivalent of 55 full-time jobs. The company is currently located in 10,000 square feet in East Northport.
Acutis tests urine and saliva samples to determine patients’ use of medications. It is on the frontlines of the opioid crisis and misuse of antibiotics, said CEO Jibreel Sarij.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said the Acutis project, valued at $13 million, “is a perfect example of how IDA benefits can be a highly effective tool for attracting companies in key growth sectors” such as biotechnology.
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.
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