<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-99.(L)
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>dex99l.txt
<DESCRIPTION>OPINION AND CONSENT OF COUNSEL TO THE TRUST
<TEXT>

<PAGE>

                                 July 25, 2001



BlackRock New York
Municipal Income Trust
345 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10154

               Re:  BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust
                    Registration Statement on Form N-2
                    ----------------------------------

Ladies and Gentlemen:

          We have acted as special counsel to BlackRock New York Municipal
Income Trust, a business trust formed under the Delaware Business Trust Act (the
"Trust"), in connection with the initial public offering by the Trust of up to
12,666,666 shares (including shares subject to an over-allotment option) of the
Trust's common shares (the "Shares") of beneficial interest, par value $0.001
per share (the "Common Shares").

          This opinion is being furnished in accordance with the requirements of
Item 24 of the Form N-2 Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the "1933 Act"), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the "1940 Act").

          In connection with this opinion, we have examined originals or copies,
certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of (i) the Notification
of Registration of the Trust as an investment company under the 1940 Act, on
Form N-8A, dated April 3, 2001 as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") on April 3, 2001, (ii) the Registration Statement
of the Trust on Form N-2 (File Nos. 333-58222 and 811-10337), as filed with the
Commission on April 3, 2001, and as amended by Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 on
June 4, 2001, Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 on June 19, 2001 and Pre-Effective
Amendment No. 3 on July 25 2001, under the 1933 Act (such Registration
Statement, as so amended and proposed to be amended, being hereinafter referred
to as the
<PAGE>

BlackRock New York
Municipal Income Trust
July 25, 2001
Page 2



"Registration Statement"); (iii) the form of the Underwriting Agreement (the
"Underwriting Agreement") proposed to be entered into between the Trust, as
issuer, and Salomon Smith Barney Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated as representatives of the several underwriters named therein (the
"Underwriters"), filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement; (iv) a
specimen certificate representing the Common Shares; (v) the Certificate of
Trust and Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Trust,
as amended to dated and currently in effect; (vi) the By-Laws of the Trust, as
currently in effect; (vii) certain resolutions of the Board of Trustees of the
Trust relating to the issuance and sale of the Shares and related matters and
(viii) certain resolutions of the shareholders of the Trust relating to the
Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust. We also have examined originals or
copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such records
of the Trust and such agreements, certificates of public officials, certificates
of officers or other representatives of the Trust and others, and such other
documents, certificates and records as we have deemed necessary or appropriate
as a basis for the opinions set forth herein.

          In our examination, we have assumed the legal capacity of all natural
persons, the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents
submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all
documents submitted to us as certified, conformed or photostatic copies and the
authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.  In making our
examination of documents, we have assumed that the parties thereto, other than
the Trust, its directors and officers, had or will have the power, corporate or
other, to enter into and perform all obligations thereunder and have also
assumed the due authorization by all requisite action, corporate or other, and
execution and delivery by such parties of such documents and the validity and
binding effect thereof on such parties.  In rendering the opinion set forth
below, we have assumed that the share certificates representing the Shares will
conform to the specimen examined by us and will have been manually signed by an
authorized officer of the transfer agent and registrar for the Common Shares and
registered by such transfer agent and registrar.  As to any facts material to
the opinions expressed herein which we have not independently established or
verified, we have relied upon statements and representations of officers and
other representatives of the Trust and others.
<PAGE>

BlackRock New York
Municipal Income Trust
July 25, 2001
Page 3



          Members of our firm are admitted to the bar in the State of New York
and we do not express any opinion as to the laws of any jurisdiction other than
the Delaware Business Trust Act.

          Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that
when (i) the Registration Statement becomes effective; (ii) the Underwriting
Agreement has been duly executed and delivered; (iii) certificates representing
the Shares in the form of the specimen certificate examined by us have been
manually signed by an authorized officer of the transfer agent and registrar for
the Shares and registered by such transfer agent and registrar; and (iv) the
Shares have been delivered to and paid for by the Underwriters at a price per
share not less than the per share par value of the Common Shares as contemplated
by the Underwriting Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares will have
been duly authorized, and the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and
nonassessable (except as provided in the last sentence of Section 3.8 of the
Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust).

          We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as
an exhibit to the Registration Statement.  We also consent to the reference to
our firm under the caption "Legal Opinions" in the Registration Statement.  In
giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are included in the
category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the 1933 Act or
the rules and regulations of the Commission.

                              Very truly yours,

                              /s/ SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER & FLOM LLP

                              SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER & FLOM LLP
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