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Highlands Today

Senior Tax Exemptions: Did You Know They Were There?

Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

Jocelyn Cruz uses a respiratory inhaler on her mother, Nilda, on Friday as part of a daily treatment.

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By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: September 16, 2007

SEBRING — Two questions are being raised about the "Save Our Seniors" property tax discount, passed statewide by voters in 1998 to help lower-income homeowners age 65 and up.

First: Should Highlands County commissioners raise this tax break?

Highlands County offers 1/10th of the maximum level of this tax relief, available to seniors with annual household income of $23,600 or lower. The commissioners authorize it at a $5,000 reduction in the taxable value of a homestead house.

The constitutional amendment creating Save Our Seniors originally gave cities and counties the option of reducing homestead taxable value by up to $25,000. A year ago, the state Legislature adjusted the maximum up to $50,000.

Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid also could offer this senior tax break, in any amount from $500 to $50,000. All three municipalities choose not to offer it at all.

The second question has two parts. Do most seniors eligible for this tax break know about it? And, could the county do more in getting the word out so eligible seniors don't miss what they're entitled to?

Nilda Cruz, 79, and in frail health, is one senior who isn't getting this tax relief because she didn't know it existed, though she's been eligible since it was implemented in 1999.

"I have never heard about it," said her 39-year-old daughter, Jocelyn Cruz, who moved back to Highlands County from Orlando seven years ago to care for ailing mother. "I'm ecstatic to find out now, because I know she will definitely benefit from this."

Jocelyn learned of this senior tax break by accident, from a reporter asking people whether Highlands County should raise this tax break to the maximum $50,0000 level. "What (lower-income) senior exemption?" was her initial reaction.

For seven years, Jocelyn, who lives in Avon Park, has been helping her mother keep her Lake Placid home. "She's been behind on her (property) taxes for the past five to six years," she said.

Jocelyn isn't pleased with the county's efforts in notifying people of tax exemptions. She was back in Highlands County five years before she learned her mom could get exemptions for being a widow and being disabled, each one for $500 off taxable homestead value.

"I was literally looking for exemptions to help my mother and still didn't know about them," she added. "I would say there are a lot of seniors that my mother knows in a similar situation."

Making People Aware

Raymond McIntyre, the county property appraiser, said his offices does "everything we can to make people aware" of all property tax exemptions. Between Jan. 1 and March 1, when the exemptions can be filed, he said, "I advertise heavily in the local newspapers." He runs half-page, color ads, with all exemptions highlighted in red.

"We try to get their attention," he said. "I would think that anyone who keeps up with the news and talks to their neighbors would be aware of it ... When this amendment in the constitution went into effect, we did a mass mail-out and tried to get everyone in the county aware of it." That was eight years ago."

Jocelyn Cruise isn't impressed and says more could and should be done.

"Seniors like my mother, who are having health issues or may have issues with memory, and only one article (advertisement) run per year?" she said. "And if they miss that they miss their benefit?"

She was disappointed that the widow's and disability exemptions for her mother couldn't be made retroactive when she learned of them.

"What is ironic," she said, "is that by the time she received any decreases she was entitled to, it was all eaten up by the new tax increases."

Doreen Gulliver said she's happy with the $48 reduction in her property taxes from Save Our Seniors. But, she said at the Sebring Senior Citizens on Wednesday, "We didn't know about this exemption until last year, when a friend of mine told me about it.

"It's not well known," she added.

The county could partner with NU-HOPE Elder Care Services, veterans organizations and senior-based groups to make sure people are aware of their tax exemptions, Cruz said, and use computers to identify people who are likely eligible.

"We're not talking about Manhattan, we're talking about Highlands County," she said. "I have some data base experience, and it's simple cross referencing of public records. ... it's not rocket science."

Gulliver and Cruz hope the commissioners raise the low-income senior exemption all the way to $50,000.

"I can't think of anybody I know who wouldn't want some (additional) tax help ... it would be a big help for those in our fixed incomes," Gulliver said.

Cruz sees it this way: "If it ($50,000 exemption) is on the table, I'd want to know the reasons if they (commissioners) don't want to do it. I hope they pay attention to this because it could help a lot of people."

Taking A Look

Guy Maxcy, chairman of the commissioners, said he'll ask commissioners to start discussing the issue in a few weeks. The first step, he said, will be asking McIntyre for estimates on lost revenues at different steps of raising the exemption "so we can make an informed decision."

Maxcy doesn't expect a decision until after the Jan. 29 vote on the super homestead exemption, which he said could cost the county up to $7 million. He said he's optimistic the low-income senior exemption can be raised, but he thinks the maximum $50,000 level is unrealistic.

"My main priority that I've worked towards is for our seniors," he said. "We owe a lot to those folks, especially the ones who make less than $23,500 a year. They're hurting, they may not have money to buy prescriptions. For our low-income seniors, we need to do all we can to help them and I preach that every year."

Jim Malkausky makes too much on his pension and Social Security to get the senior exemption. Still, he wants the commissioners to raise it to the maximum $50,000.

"I would feel they should should do it, yes," he said, "because they (eligible seniors) are living at poverty level as it is ...

"Do the math," he added. "It's just my personal opinion, but that $50,000 exemption is not going to impact the tax rolls to where they cannot afford to cut some fat off the budget."

Marge Jakubik, who'll turn 75 soon, thinks the full $50,000 allowed by the state is justified in Highlands County.

"Some counties elected to do that, but not many in our state," Maxcy said.

Jakubik points out that Palm Beach County does. "They gave their citizens the original $25,000, and then they gave them another $25,000," she said.

About paying her property tax, she said, "I can't say it's difficult. But it makes you very unhappy to see the money you've worked very hard for and saved all your life, to pay it out in taxes and insurance. It hurts. You expect to have a (retirement) income and maybe use it to have a good time sometimes.

"The ($50,000) exemption, they should do it absolutely," she added. "If you're scrimping to pay taxes and insurance, how are you going to be able to go out and support the community?"

McIntyre said he would not speak either for or against raising this exemption. But he said this exemption was created for the people most in need of tax relief.

"I do think those are the people who need help," he said." And we hear from those people a lot in this office. Those are the people we hear from, who are in jeopardy of losing their homes."

McIntyre suspects most people don't realize the county's option of raising this tax break by up to 10 times the current level.

"I know the seniors who are receiving this exemption are aware that it exists," he said. "I'm not sure they are aware the maximum amount allowed under the constitutional amendment is $50,000."

Providing Information

Sandy Foster, executive director of NU-HOPE, said he plans to begin publicizing county tax exemptions to the agency's clients to make sure they're not missing tax benefits.

"I can sure do the research and get it out to clients advising them of what their (tax relief) benefits are, and who to contact if they are not receiving them," he said. But, he said, making sure every eligible senior knows about exemptions has to extend far beyond his agency.

Jocelyn Cruz said she was angered by a county clerk who told her "it's not my job" to alert seniors about tax breaks. She said she understands the taxpayers' responsibility, but believes the county can do much more to reach out.

"The way I look at it," she said, "how they should approach it is, if it was your mother or father, or your grandmother or grandfather, who was having difficulty meeting their taxes, how would they look at it then?"

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