SACRAMENTO
– A George Runner proposal to protect California’s disabled veterans
won backing from a key legislative panel today, when the Senate
Governance and Finance Committee
voted 7-0 to back
SB 1113. The measure, authored by
Senator Steve Knight (R-Antelope Valley), would help ensure that
disabled veterans who encounter bureaucratic delays can still claim a
key property tax exemption.
“Disabled
veterans should not miss out on tax benefits to which they are entitled
just because the federal government, for whatever reason, is unable to
give them their 100%
disability rating in a timely manner,” said Runner. [View video of Runner testimony]
Under
California law, veterans who receive a 100% disability rating from the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may be eligible for a property
tax exemption on the value
of their home up to $124,932 or $187,399 in 2014 and equivalent amounts
adjusted for inflation in future years. The exemption starts on the
date of disability and disabled veterans may claim a refund for up to
four years of back taxes paid.
Unfortunately,
due to VA backlogs, some veterans have had to wait more than four years
to receive their disability rating certifications. As a result, they’ve
missed out on
thousands of dollars in property tax refunds to which they were
entitled and anticipated receiving.
SB
1113 would increase the availability of refunds on taxes previously
paid from four years to eight years, allowing veterans to receive the
full benefit of their exemption,
even if the rating process takes more than four years to complete.
“Veterans
who are disabled as a direct result of serving our country shouldn’t be
penalized for delays over which they have no control,” said Knight. “I
commend my colleagues
for backing SB 1113 to ensure disabled veterans have access to the tax
benefits they deserve.”
The
measure also won unanimous support from the Senate Veterans Committee
at its April 8 hearing. In addition, the full Board of Equalization
voted to sponsor SB 1113 at its
March 25 meeting, and the measure has also received support from the
California Assessors’ Association, California Taxpayers Association and
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
Elected
in November 2010, George Runner represents more than nine million
Californians as a member of the State Board of Equalization. For more
information, visit
www.boe.ca.gov/Runner.
