Grant County announces expanded property tax breaks

EPHRATA — More senior citizens and disabled people living on fixed incomes in Grant County could get a break on their property taxes, according to a press release from the Grant County Assessor’s Office.

Changes in state law that affect Grant County’s Senior Citizen and People with Disabilities Tax Relief Program that came into effect at the beginning of 2022 expand the number of deductions taxpayers can take to calculate whether or not they are eligible for tax relief.

Now allowed are out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, home care costs, Medicare and Medicare supplemental insurance premiums, long-term care insurance, and certain kinds of medical equipment including prescribed oxygen, nebulizers, dialysis machines and mobility enhancing equipment, the press release said.

According to Craig Allen, an official with the Grant County Assessor’s Office, the program allows low-income seniors who qualify to get a reduction in the county and state property tax. All qualified participants in the program receive a tax reduction. The amount of reduction varies according to income.

“There are cases where the value of the property is low enough that the amount of value reduction applied results in a 100% reduction in tax, but these cases are somewhat rare,” Allen said via email..

The tax reduction also does not apply to property assessments levied by weed control, mosquito control and irrigation (and irrigation and rehabilitation) districts, he added.

“This program is designed to keep seniors and disabled people in their homes,” added Grant County Assessor Melissa McKnight in an email..

To be eligible, property owners must be at least 61 years of age or disabled, a veteran with an 80% service-connected disability, or the surviving spouse or domestic partner who is at least 57-years-old who was married to someone previously receiving the exemption.

According to Jason Erskine, communications director for the American Association of Retired Persons, or AARP, in Washington State, said property tax relief is an important way to allow senior citizens to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. This is known as aging in place, he said.

Erskine, in an email, cited an AARP study done late last year showing that 77% of adults over 50 want to continue living in their homes. The study found that not only do they want to be there, but it is less expensive for a senior citizen to remain in his or her home than to live in an institution of some sort.

AARP estimates that 9.3 million older adults across the country may be eligible for local property tax relief programs, but only about 8% apply.

According to Allen, about 1,750 people participate in the Grant County property tax relief program.

However, according to Grant County Treasurer Darryl Pheasant, every dollar of tax relief will be paid by someone else, since the overall levy amount does not go down.

“If someone who qualifies to get a senior or disability exemption, all or a portion of their value is removed (from the tax rolls), which causes the levy to increase and spreads those taxes to the rest of the taxpayers to pay,” Pheasant wrote in an email.

THINK YOU MAY QUALIFY?

If you believe you may qualify for the county’s property tax relief program, contact the Grant County Assessor’s Office at the Grant County Courthouse at 509-754-2011, ext. 2601 or download an application from the Grant County website at: https://bit.ly/GrantCoTaxApp.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com