On Consumerism
By Arthur Vidro
Locals who pay property taxes can often be heard grumbling about the high cost.
Locals who don’t pay property taxes can’t help but overhear the grumblings of the payers.
It’s no secret that New Hampshire’s high property taxes are a logical consequence of its zero-state income tax (except for certain investment income) and zero sales tax (except for lodgings and prepared meals).
High property taxes will stay with us.
However, some relief is available.
New Hampshire’s Department of Revenue Administration runs a program to provide property tax relief to homeowners with low or moderate income.
What does “low or moderate income” mean?
Well, for this program, it means your adjusted gross income (Line 11 of your federal 1040 tax return) must be $37,000 or less if you are an individual payer, or $47,000 or less if you filed a return as married or head of household.
The state form you must fill out and submit is called DP-8. You include your name, address, phone number, Social Security number, map and lot numbers and assessed value of your property (all of which is found on your property tax bill), and some numbers that are contained in the instructions for using the form.
Also, it helps if you actually live on the property.
This year, for the first time, I acquired the form, filled it out, and submitted it.
Never filled it out before, because I never encountered the program at the right time. It runs only in May and June of each year. Applications received before May begins or after June ends are discarded, unread.
So if you are going to act, now is the time. Your deadline is June 30. You can fill out the form on a computer or, like me, print out the pages and print or type the information, then mail it to the given address (box 299 in Concord). As long as the envelope is postmarked by June 30, your application will be considered.
If I did everything correctly, then the missus and I will be receiving from New Hampshire a check for $63 and change as our property tax relief. Guess that means we’re poor enough to qualify for a bit of aid, but not poor enough to qualify for significant aid.
After all, $63 is, rounded to the nearest whole number, just 1% of our annual property tax bill. Expressed as a percentage, that’s an insignificant pittance. However, it is $63 and change. It will help.
So, property tax owners, why not check to see if you, too, qualify for some property tax relief from the state of New Hampshire?
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