A noisy protest, which lurched from nearly violent to uncomfortably cordial erupted, at a rally for a tax cap in the Legislative Office Building’s Well this morning.

The rally, organized by Assembly Republicans, began with lawmakers speaking in favor of the 2 percent property tax cap, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo is trying to get approved this year.

We arrived there just as Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, Ontario County, was trying to finish his speech when anti-tax cap protesters standing on a flight of stairs tried to shout him down.

One person was accused of being a “racist” while one woman dismissed the anti-tax protesters as “communists.” And then, strangely enough, one argument ended int two debaters shaking hands.

If anything, the incident served to show how high emotions are running on the issue. Though the property tax cap that Cuomo wants to pass the Democratic-led Assembly enjoys broad support in polls, concerns remain over the impact a “hard cap” without exemptions and mandate relief.

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