Rep. TOM CAMPBELL (R-Roy)
2nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia office: 334 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
Office: (360) 786-7912

For immediate release: February 28, 2007

House passes property tax reduction for disabled veterans

Olympia -- The House today unanimously passed legislation to provide property tax exemptions for veterans with 100-percent service-connected disabilities. Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Roy) sponsored House Bill 1102. Following passage by a vote of 96-0, Campbell said he's very encouraged that the bill will receive a supportive reception as it moves to the Senate.

"This is a great measure to help those veterans who have suffered so much in the defense our country. It will extend the same property tax relief now enjoyed by our senior citizens," Campbell said. "We heard testimony from several disabled veterans who are being forced out of their homes because of increasing taxes."

One disabled veteran, Patrick of Gig Harbor, testified that he bought his home in 1959 for $155,000. But, today the house is valued by the county auditor at about $400,000. The tax increase based on this value will force him out of his home because of his low income.

"We find that many of these disabled veterans have to go to nursing homes because they're being taxed out of their own homes," Campbell said.

This legislation will raise the bar on the combined disposable income for eligibility for 100-percent service connected disability to $70,000.  It will also clarify in state law that the 'disability income' from the federal government will no longer be considered as income for those who qualify.

"The federal Internal Revenue Service code does not consider benefits disabled veterans receive to be income," Campbell noted. "But, our state does consider it income, which creates severe problems for our disabled veterans."

Campbell noted that state-wide, there are fewer than 1,200 disabled veterans who qualify, "so it will be a big help to our veterans and won't affect our state revenues a bit."

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Contact: Rep. Tom Campbell at (360) 786-7912 or campbell.tom@leg.wa.gov