Levels For Tax Relief Still Up in Air

In November, when Tennessee voters approved a Constitutional amendment to let government freeze property taxes for senior citizens, they left the details up to the state legislature.

The state already funds some tax relief for property-owners 65 and older, but only for the first twenty-five thousand dollars of assessed value and only for citizens making twenty thousand dollars or less a year.

Nashville Democrat Brenda Gilmore is a new state representative from North Nashville. She says lawmakers must find the right level of tax relief because many seniors have their backs against the wall in trying to pay property taxes on a fixed income.

“Whether it’s gonna be twenty-five thousand, thirty thousand, I don’t know. But I know that the level that seniors can no longer go above is much too low, because you almost have to be penniless or almost below the poverty level to enjoy the benefits.”

After the state passes a law, cities and counties can vote to implement it. Until August, Gilmore is also a member of the Metro Nashville Council, so she may get to vote on the same issue in that chamber.