SB 0430

SB 430 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

AN ACT allowing towns or cities to increase the property tax credit for service-connected total disability, and to adopt an optional date for filing exemptions.

SPONSORS: Sen. Johnson, Dist 3; Sen. Barnes, Dist 17; Rep. Calawa, Hills 17

This bill allows towns and cities to increase the property tax credit for service-connected total disability from $1400 to $2000.

This bill also allows towns or cities to adopt an optional filing date for all exemptions, deferrals, or tax credits. Current law allows adopting the optional filing date only for the elderly exemption.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

AN ACT allowing towns or cities to increase the property tax credit for service-connected total disability, and to adopt an optional date for filing exemptions.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Property Taxes; Tax Credit for Service-Connected Total Disability; Amount Increased. Amend RSA 72:35, IV(a) to read as follows:

IV.(a) Upon its adoption by a city or town as provided in RSA 72:35-a, any person who has been honorably discharged or an officer honorably separated from the military service of the United States and who has total and permanent service-connected disability, or who is a double amputee or paraplegic because of service-connected injury, or the surviving spouse of such a person, shall receive a yearly tax credit in the amount of [~~$1,400~~] $2,000 of property taxes on the person's residential property. A municipality which had elected under prior law to adopt a $1,400 credit shall be required to comply with the procedure for adoption in RSA 72:35-a if the municipality wants to adopt the $2,000 credit amount.

2 Property Taxes; Tax Credit for Service-Connected Total Disability; Procedure for Adoption; Amount Increased. Amend RSA 72:35-a, I(c) to read as follows:

(c) The wording of the question shall be: "Shall we adopt the provisions of RSA 72:35, IV for an optional tax credit on the taxes due on residential property for a service-connected total disability? The optional disability tax credit is [~~$1,400~~] $2,000, rather than $700."

3 Property Taxation; Optional Date for Filing Exemption. Amend RSA 72:33-b to read as follows:

I. Any town or city may opt to change the date for filing for [~~an elderly exemption~~] all of the exemptions, deferrals, or tax credits listed under RSA 72:33 from March 1 to the August 1 prior to the setting of the tax rate. Any town or city may adopt the August 1 date for filing in the following manner:

(a) In a town, the question shall be placed on the warrant of a special or annual town meeting under the procedures set out in RSA 39, and shall be voted upon by ballot. In a city or charter town, the legislative body may consider and act upon the question in accordance with its normal procedures for passage of resolutions, ordinances, and other legislation. The legislative body of a city or charter town may vote to place the question on the official ballot for any regular municipal election, or, in the alternative, shall place the question on the official ballot for any regular municipal election upon submission to the legislative body of a petition signed by 5 percent of the registered voters.

(b) The governing body shall hold a public hearing on the question at least 15 days but not more than 30 days before the question is to be voted on. Notice of the hearing shall be posted in at least 2 public places in the municipality and published in a newspaper of general circulation at least 7 days before the hearing.

(c) The wording of the question shall be: "Shall we adopt the August 1 prior to the setting of the tax rate as the date for filing for [~~an elderly exemption from~~] exemptions, deferrals, and tax credits against the property tax?"

II. If a majority of those voting on the question vote "Yes," the August 1 filing date for [~~the elderly exemption~~] exemptions, deferrals, or tax credits shall apply within the town or city on the date set by the governing body.

III. Within 60 days from the initial adoption of the August 1 filing date for [~~the elderly exemption~~] exemptions, deferrals, or tax credits, the governing body of the town or city shall send a prominent written notice of the change of filing date to all residential property taxpayers in the town or city.