Taxation
Awareness and Popularity of Property Tax Relief Programs
Research Report
David Baer, AARP Public Policy Institute
February 1998
Property taxes are often considered regressive and can be the single most burdensome tax for many low-income and older persons. To help alleviate property tax burdens, state/local governments have created a number of property tax relief programs. Chief among them are the homestead exemption, property tax credit, and property tax deferral programs. This 44-page paper evaluates the effectiveness of existing programs by first estimating awareness and participation rates of eligible households in the programs, and also by ascertaining the reasons why eligible older homeowners and renters choose not to participate in them.
Pub ID: 9803