Springfield Believes in the Fountain of Youth for New Senior Citizen Property Tax Exemption

Our elected officials in Springfield apparently believe in the Fountain of Youth when they passed the residential property tax law that requires senior citizens to re-apply every year for the senior citizen exemption.

Thats right when you turn 65 and apply for your senior citizen property tax exemption, you will need to re-apply for the next year. Using normal arithmetic, the year after you turn 65 you would then be 66.

Using "Springfield Arithmetic" you might turn 64 the year after your 65th birthday. Perhaps our elected officials hope that "Springfield Arithmetic" will make the $13 billion deficit magically decrease over time too.

Their explanation for this amazing possibility -- that you will get younger after you turn 65 is they want the prevent the possibility of people 64 and younger inappropriately applying for the exemption. Apparently, they forgot that when you apply for the exemption you have to provide proof that you are in fact 65.

Here is link to a Chicago Tribune article on this new law.

Governor Quinn has promised to "fix" this provision. Let's hope he keeps this promise. Otherwise our senior citizens will have to remember to let our government know every year that they are still senior citizens--or risk overpaying their property taxes.

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