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Eroni De Oliveira

Published: December 1, 2008

Like me, many people will reduce their income to barely one third of the original upon retirement. It may be a health issue or just a choice that should be respected. After all, the law allows one to do that, after 65 years of age, with the return of one's Social Security contributions.

By then you have paid for your house, these things were done while you worked and had a good salary. This home no longer represents, neither provides, nor is proportional to one's income; it is an asset that an old person deserves to enjoy and, perhaps, is the only thing that he or she can leave for the kids.

Shall we be penalized for the rest of our lives to pay exorbitant property taxes for something that we were able to buy in the past? Perhaps, we should sell it and go under the bridge? The plight of the homesteader low income senior citizen is often misunderstood and even, sometimes, called a request for "special favors." Nothing could be further away from the truth.

Fortunately the state legislators didn't see it that way and created a law, back in 2001, to add $25,000 to low income senior citizens homestead exemptions. Because of its importance, it was amended two years ago, to double its amount. Unfortunately it is not compulsory, been up to the counties and cities to implement it.

I want to congratulate Commissioners Guy Maxcy, Edgar Stokes and Don Bates for their wisdom, courage and kindness in raising the local low income senior citizens additional exemption to $15,000 and, at the same time, deplore the opposition they encounter from commissioners Barbara Stewart and Jeff Carlson.

The perception of this issue is very easy; it just requires a sense of justice and solidarity but, unfortunately, some people are still lacking them. Some say it will affect the budget but the budget should be adjusted to the taxes and not the other way around.

Myself and others in my situation are deeply grateful to the commissioners Guy Maxcy, Edgar Stokes and Don Bates.

Eroni De Oliveira
Sebring

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