03/11/08 - The tax relief program allows residents 65 and older who earn a maximum of $39,000 to receive up to $1,700 in property tax credits

Senior advocates have said that with tax relief, older residents can stay in their homes for longer, which forestalls their move to assisted living facilities, nursing homes and other institutions.

Seniors seek to ease tax restrictions

By Hoa Nguyen
Greenwich Time - Staff Writer

Allowing people with disabilities to participate, loosening the income and age restrictions and adding a deferment option were among the changes seniors would like to see in the Elderly Property Tax Relief program....

... Tim Bassford, 51, of Chickahominy, also asked town officials to consider extending the program to the disabled who face the same economic struggles as the elderly.

"They're exactly in the same boat," he said.

Among one of the proposals the committee is studying is a way for seniors to delay paying their taxes until they sell their homes. The deferral program would place a lien on the property and when the home is sold, the taxes, including interest, would have to be paid from the proceeds.

"The tax deferral is a simple process and a guarantee that the town will get its money," said Suzanne Geiss Robbins.