The Greece Board of Education approved a school tax exemption for Veterans on Tuesday, but it'll mean a school tax increase for non-veterans.
The exemption applies to veterans who served during a war period. The Greece Central School District’s list of eligible periods of service includes World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War from 1990 to present, and the Cold War.
The exemption rate depends on the type of service and is higher for veterans who served in combat zones.
“Having a son that's an active service member, I truly appreciate the sacrifice that you made in the past and that our current soldiers across the world are making on our behalf every single day,” school board president Sean McCabe said to veterans in the audience of a school board meeting Tuesday. McCabe voted in favor of the measure.
The tax exemption for veterans comes at a cost for other Greece residents. Their school tax rate would increase by $0.45 per $1,000 of a property’s value. That’s about a 1.8% increase. The school district’s total tax levy — the amount of revenue it raises through property taxes — won’t be affected, according to the district.
According to the district, about 26,000 properties in Greece receive veterans’ exemptions on other taxes. It’s not clear how many would meet the qualifications outlined by the district’s guidelines.
“This exemption would definitely help many qualifying veterans on fixed incomes, those with disabilities and also their surviving spouses,” Daniel Perna, commander of American Legion Post 468 in Greece said during a school board public hearing.
Perna said he oversees more than a thousand veterans and their families in the town.
The school board voted six to one in favor. The change is scheduled to take effect in September.
