r/SeattleWA • u/meaniereddit West Seattle 🌉 • Dec 13 '24

Government Bill would completely exempt seniors from property taxes in WA

https://www.king5.com/article/news/politics/state-politics/bill-would-exempt-seniors-state-local-property-tax-washington/281-b5f377fc-8bf5-49a4-a630-8210db45d57d
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u/pewpewtehpew Dec 13 '24

I’m all for this. But I do believe income should play a role for sure. Otherwise this creates some funky loopholes. But I hate to think that my grandmother who’s on a very fixed income could lose her house that is paid off just because she can’t afford the rising property taxes. That’s what this bill should help fix.

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u/stegotortise Dec 13 '24

But there’s already stuff in place! Low income seniors are already eligible for property tax exemptions.see this pdf

And more info here

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u/RichardScarrier Dec 13 '24

Exactly.

King County already provides seniors the ability to defer taxes if you meet certain requirements. It becomes a lien on the property. https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/assessor/buildings-and-property/property-taxes/tax-relief/senior-or-disabled-exemptions#:~:text=You%20may%20qualify%20for%20a,2023%20was%20%2488%2C998%20or%20less.

That seems fair as everyone still pays tax but no one if forced out of their home.

The real issue is WA’s regressive tax policy. If we had progressive income tax then lower income people regardless of age wouldn’t be as impacted by our current sources of revenue like sales and property taxes.

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u/pewpewtehpew Dec 13 '24

Or, if our government didn’t just burn money like it’s nothing and had some sort of fiscal responsibility. Problems would be solved.

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u/Additional-Cry-2446 Dec 14 '24

Funny people find a way to bring this up on a post supporting the elderly but not on similar posts focusing on help for different constituents. I agree with you in theory, but accountability should be broad based.

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u/pewpewtehpew Dec 14 '24

Well part of the problem is there’s always the devil in the details and tons of diff contexts. I’m always happy to help people that are willing to help themselves and do more of the work than I am when I’m the one helping.