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Date: 11/17/2020
EASTHAMPTON – At the Nov. 3 election, city residents voted to approve an exemption to the Community Preservation Act (CPA) tax surcharge designated for low-income homeowners and low to moderate-income senior homeowners.
This exemption enables low-income residents who own and occupy their homes to be exempt from paying the CPA surcharge.
Councilor James “JP” Kwiecinski brought this proposal forward, he said, because he thinks there should be more tax breaks for the working poor, for the elderly and for those who struggle just to get by.
Kwiecinski said at least 63 people will benefit from this exemption but it is not possible to predict how many more people will apply.
Kwiecinski said the city will be working on the implementation of the program that begins with taxes assessed starting July 1, 2021.
“This will give everyone time to process the forms and for taxpayers to receive a certificate of exemption. If the final tax bills for FY2022 come out on Jan. 1, 2022, then applications have to be turned in by April 1, 2022, or they will be denied,” Kwiecinski said.
There are specific eligibility requirements for this exemption and the Assessor’s Office will handle the applications.
Each co-owner of the home is required to meet a household annual income standard for the low-income or low to moderate-income senior exemption to be granted. The income standard is based on the area-wide median income determined annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Kwiecinski said that any ownership, occupancy, age, income, or usage classification requirement for the exemption must be met as of Jan. 1 of that year. For example, to qualify as a senior citizen you must be 60 years old by the new year.
In a prepared statement that Kwiecinski shared with Reminder Publishing, he said that this is an opportunity to provide some tax relief for low income and low and moderate-income seniors. He also wrote that after reviewing data it shows that three-fourths of the 34 Western Massachusetts communities that have approved the CPA, have also adopted the low income and low and moderate-income senior exemption.