Seniors Qualify for Tax Break
New law gives exemption of $25,000 of property value to those over 65.
from the Journal-News
http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/07/04/hjn070407homestead.html
HAMILTON — Relief is on the way for local senior citizens with the signing of the state budget bill that took effect Monday.
Butler County Auditor Kay Rogers, a longtime advocate of senior tax relief, said Tuesday that she is trying to make it as easy as possible for seniors to sign up for the newly expanded Homestead Exemption. State legislators extended the exemption to all homeowners, regardless of income, who are 65 and older by Dec. 31, totally disabled as of Jan. 1 or are the surviving spouse of a previously exempted homeowner and at least 59 at the time of their spouse's death.
Now, seniors can be exempted for $25,000 of property value, saving them about $300 to $500 a year in real estate taxes, said Joe Statzer, the auditor's community service director. Before, the exemption was limited to seniors with less than $26,200 in annual income and varied on an income scale.
About 4,300 homeowners already were exempted in Butler County; the auditor's office is still estimating the number that could now be eligible locally, Statzer said.
According to the state Department of Taxation, the expanded benefit increases the number of eligible homeowners statewide from 220,00 to 750,000.
"There is more work to do, but this is a step in the right direction," said Rogers, who has pushed for a senior tax freeze.
Seniors must apply for the exemption by Oct. 1 to get a break on tax bills payable in 2008.
The application form is available on the auditor's Web site, butlercountyauditor.org, but it must be signed and turned in to the auditor's office, 130 High St., in Hamilton.
Rogers also plans to schedule town hall meetings and visits to senior centers across the county to help seniors apply. She also will be in a booth at the Butler County Fair July 22-27 at the county fairgrounds.
The new law, House Bill 119, will not hurt schools or local governments because they will be reimbursed by the state, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation.
Also, the state budget bill expanded PASSPORT, a state program aimed at allowing disabled low-income elderly to receive the kind of care they prefer — at home. It costs about $1,140 a month for a person with PASSPORT, compared with $4,800 a month in a nursing home on Medicaid, according to the Council on Aging of Southwest Ohio.
The budget bill has opened 5,600 more PASSPORT spots statewide and 567 openings for the southwest region that includes Butler, Warren, Hamilton, Clermont and Clinton counties, according the Council on Aging.
For more information about applying for the Homestead Exemption call the county auditor's office at (513) 887-3153. To learn more about PASSPORT and other in-home services for the elderly, call the Council on Aging at (513) 721-1025 or (800) 252-0155 or visit help4seniors.org.
from the Journal-News
http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/07/04/hjn070407homestead.html
HAMILTON — Relief is on the way for local senior citizens with the signing of the state budget bill that took effect Monday.
Butler County Auditor Kay Rogers, a longtime advocate of senior tax relief, said Tuesday that she is trying to make it as easy as possible for seniors to sign up for the newly expanded Homestead Exemption. State legislators extended the exemption to all homeowners, regardless of income, who are 65 and older by Dec. 31, totally disabled as of Jan. 1 or are the surviving spouse of a previously exempted homeowner and at least 59 at the time of their spouse's death.
Now, seniors can be exempted for $25,000 of property value, saving them about $300 to $500 a year in real estate taxes, said Joe Statzer, the auditor's community service director. Before, the exemption was limited to seniors with less than $26,200 in annual income and varied on an income scale.
About 4,300 homeowners already were exempted in Butler County; the auditor's office is still estimating the number that could now be eligible locally, Statzer said.
According to the state Department of Taxation, the expanded benefit increases the number of eligible homeowners statewide from 220,00 to 750,000.
"There is more work to do, but this is a step in the right direction," said Rogers, who has pushed for a senior tax freeze.
Seniors must apply for the exemption by Oct. 1 to get a break on tax bills payable in 2008.
The application form is available on the auditor's Web site, butlercountyauditor.org, but it must be signed and turned in to the auditor's office, 130 High St., in Hamilton.
Rogers also plans to schedule town hall meetings and visits to senior centers across the county to help seniors apply. She also will be in a booth at the Butler County Fair July 22-27 at the county fairgrounds.
The new law, House Bill 119, will not hurt schools or local governments because they will be reimbursed by the state, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation.
Also, the state budget bill expanded PASSPORT, a state program aimed at allowing disabled low-income elderly to receive the kind of care they prefer — at home. It costs about $1,140 a month for a person with PASSPORT, compared with $4,800 a month in a nursing home on Medicaid, according to the Council on Aging of Southwest Ohio.
The budget bill has opened 5,600 more PASSPORT spots statewide and 567 openings for the southwest region that includes Butler, Warren, Hamilton, Clermont and Clinton counties, according the Council on Aging.
For more information about applying for the Homestead Exemption call the county auditor's office at (513) 887-3153. To learn more about PASSPORT and other in-home services for the elderly, call the Council on Aging at (513) 721-1025 or (800) 252-0155 or visit help4seniors.org.
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