PAULDING COUNTY, GA — Paulding County property owners age 65 and older may get a tax break, pending state legislature approval and a public vote.
The Paulding County School District Board of Education approved a resolution this week calling for a public referendum to lower education property taxes for the county's elderly residents.
Under current property tax law, those age 65 and older have a 50 percent exemption on all education ad valorem property taxes levied by the school district, including ad valorem taxation to pay interest on or to retire school bond debt.
But under the new resolution approved Tuesday, Paulding County property owners age 65 and older would also be completely exempt from ad valorem taxation to pay interest on or to retire school bond debt.
Additionally, all Paulding County property owners 70 years of age and older are completely exempt from all ad valorem education property taxes levied by the district. The resolution also calls for this age to be reduced to 68 years old.
“The Paulding County Board of Education is committed to fiscal responsibility and providing Paulding County students the highest quality education possible through responsible taxation of property owners,” Paulding school board Chairman Jeff Fuller said in a news release. “Lowering education property taxes for seniors who don’t have children in our schools makes common sense, and this measure extends those exemptions to a wider group of citizens. It also does so in a responsible way by phasing in the age reduction over two years, which is especially important for a low-wealth school district such as Paulding County."
The resolution first must be considered this spring by the Georgia Legislature as local legislation. Modification of the existing exemptions would require passage of a local referendum, which would be voted on by Paulding County voters in November 2022.
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