Former members of the U.S. military living in the Town of Caroline, who also served during the Cold War era, can now apply for a newly available real property tax exemption, announced the Tompkins County Departments of Assessment and Veterans Services.
Thanks to the leadership of the Town of Caroline Town Board, honorably discharged Veterans who served in the active military of the United States between September 2, 1945, and December 26, 1991, are now eligible to apply for this new tax exemption if they don’t already have the Alternative Veterans’ exemption. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2023.
Jay Franklin, director of the Assessment Department said, “Our office is happy to assist any Veteran who is seeking more information on exemptions. This is one way to recognize your service by helping to save you some money on your property tax bill.”
Caroline becomes only the fourth municipality in Tompkins County to extend this tax benefit to Cold War Veterans. Danby and the towns of Groton and Lansing are the others.
In addition to the Cold War Veteran status exemption, the Town of Caroline increased the Alternative Veterans’ Exemption from $12,000 for a wartime Veteran to $15,000. Franklin said the county’s Assessment Department has processed this change for all Veterans currently receiving the exemption. No additional action is needed at this time. The Assessment Department’s published Veterans’ Exemption Scale is available at this link.
Under New York State Law, honorably discharged Veterans across Tompkins County can apply for the Alternative property tax exemption if they served during a time of declared war. Those who served and have service-connected disabilities also can apply for a disabled Veterans exemption. Proof of service is required.
J.R. Clairborne, director of the county’s Veterans Services Department, remarked, “I’m excited that the leadership of Caroline chose to thank and support their Veterans’ community by extending this benefit to Cold War-era Veterans. This should make a key difference for our county’s Veterans and their families living in Caroline. I encourage anyone who is eligible to apply for this exemption.”
For more information veterans can contact the Assessment Department at 607-274-5517 or assessment@tompkins-co.org.