Published: April 10, 2008 04:47 pm            

Exemptions reduce disabled vets’ taxes

Veterans with a service-connected disability may reduce their property taxes in 2008 by filling out an exemption form at the Central Appraisal District of Johnson County, Chief Appraiser Jim Hudspeth said.

A veteran’s percentage of service-connected disability determines the size of the exemption. The exemption ranges from a $5,000 to a $12,000 deduction from the veteran’s property value.

Eligible for the application are:

• Disabled veterans.

• Surviving spouses of deceased disabled veterans, as long as the spouses remain unmarried.

• Surviving minor children of deceased disabled veterans, if the veterans’ spouses do not survive the veteran and if the children are under 18 and unmarried.

• Surviving spouses of people killed while on active duty, whether or not the spouses have remarried at application time.

• Surviving minor children of people killed while on active duty, if the children are under 18 and unmarried.

“Any eligible person who has not received this exemption should apply by April 30,” Hudspeth said. “But if you received the exemption in 2007, you do not have to reapply in 2008.”

Late applications are allowed if filed within one year of paying the taxes on the property or when the taxes went delinquent, whichever date is earlier.

An applicant may claim the exemption on only one piece of property, such as a home or any other property the applicant owned Jan. 1. The applicant must be a Texas resident to qualify.

The appraisal district may require proof of the disability, such as documentation from the Veterans Administration or the branch of the armed service in which the veteran served. Applicants may need proof of marriage, of age or of a spouse or parent’s death.

For an application form and information about specific qualifications, visit the Central Appraisal District of Johnson County, 109 N. Main St. in Cleburne, during office hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays, or call the office at 817-648-3000.

        

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