Increase Tax Deduction ForLow-Income Seniors

A lot of angry senior citizens want to know why potential property tax breaks were not known to them until an article appeared in the paper telling them about it. They have a right to be upset. Information about these tax breaks should be well known and not a surprise to so many people.

Besides being cranky about not knowing about the tax breaks, many seniors are upset that the county only offers 1/10th of the tax break that state law allows under Save Our Seniors. The breaks could be as much as $50,000, but in Highlands County the maximum qualified homeowners can get is $5,000 off the taxable value.

Local officials say they haven't tried to hide the information. In fact, they publish that information annually. That's true, but clearly not enough are aware of those breaks for low-income senior homeowners.

As for the amount of the deduction, it needs to be higher than 1/10th of the state's maximum. We do understand, though, that providing the full amount might cause more harm than a lot of people realize. Then again, since so little is known about this deduction, it's impossible to know what the ramifications of a higher deduction would have on county services.

Highlands County Board of Commissioners Chairman Guy Maxcy is looking into what the county can do. He agrees the amount should be higher, but he's not sure what's possible. That's a legitimate question.

Some people might claim that it's the taxpayers who should do their homework on property tax deductions, and that's a fair charge. However, the people who would benefit from this might not have as much access to this kind of information. Besides, this is information that should be readily available.

It's unfortunate this sprung up, because it appears that information to save taxpayers money was - in some ways - inadvertently hidden from them. It makes these seniors believe that the county just wants their money and prefers they don't know about these deductions. We don't believe that's the case, but it's certainly the appearance.

Coming at a sensitive time when property taxes are such a hot topic, this reinforces to some people they can't rely on elected officials to properly serve their needs. Perception is reality in these cases, and right now perception is not looking so good.