The Maine House has approved a bill that will allow Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to take advantage of a property tax exemption that veterans of previous conflicts can receive now.
The vote was 144-0 and the bill now goes to the Maine Senate for final consideration.
Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio said "This unanimous vote did more than provide smart relief and assistance to Maine veterans." "It demonstrated that lawmakers are capable of coming together on issues that cross party lines and make the right choice for Maine."
The bill would clarify that veterans who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan are eligible to exempt $6,000 of property value from their property tax assessment.
The exemption would take effect when they reach 62 years of age or if they are ruled 100 percent service connected disabled. This is a benefit that veterans of most other conflicts already receive.
These veterans of Afghanistan or Iraq currently do qualify for the exemption because they served during a federally recognized war period. Often, though veterans or town assessors who search online to determine who is eligible mistakenly conclude that these veterans are not eligible because there is
currently no reference to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This bill clearly states that Maine's Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are eligible and formally recognizes their service under Maine law.
So veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan if your are rated 100 precent by the VA, or if/when you reach
62 contact your local town assessor to apply for this tax exemption. $6,000 might make a difference in your total property tax.
----
Jerald Terwilliger
Former Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"
----------------
"And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades."
-- Robert M. Gates, 1996
No comments:
Post a Comment