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Jan
Property Tax Freeze Fleece
Recently the State of Tennessee voted to allow a Property Tax Freeze Program. This permits individual governments to enact a property tax freeze for their constituents. Blount County has voted to enact this for its residents. I disagreed with the program from the start, but after finding out the details in a letter I received today, I am even more disgusted with the program. Here are some details.
- You must be 65 years of age or older by December 31, 2007
- You must be the owner(s) shown on the recorded deed
- This must be your principal place of residence for voting purposes
- All owners’ (shown on the deed) total combined 2006 income from all sources must not exceed $31,200. Some examples of income are social security, retirement/pension, salary, interest, dividends, etc. The income limit which is set by State law will likely change slightly each year, so always check your tax notice for changes.
- The deadline to apply is April 7, 2008
Here are my primary concerns with the programs. Firstly, I do not think it is fair that we are penalizing those under 65 to pay for the older citizens. Next, we are also penalizing those that are over 65 but have planned properly for their retirement. Anyone that has done good planning will be making over $31,220 for the year. Our society continues to reward those that are irresponsible and don’t plan (welfare, this, etc.). I realize the point of the property tax freeze is to help those that are on a fixed income. However, anyone knows that prices on ALL goods will go up with inflation, and thus need to be prepared for this before they retire. If they can’t pay for this increase, they need to get a job or an alternate way to supplement their income. That is just my opinion, but I think it is important that we stop rewarding those that are unprepared. What say you?
