Hartford Automatically Re-Enrolls Seniors In Tax Relief Program
Published on April 10, 2020
HARTFORD, CONN (April 10, 2020) – Today Mayor Luke Bronin made two announcements about tax relief for Hartford residents during the coronavirus pandemic. The City runs an annual Elderly Tax Relief Program which gives a $500 tax credit to senior homeowners who enroll in the program, in addition to any tax credit they receive from State of Connecticut’s tax credit program for elderly residents. Through an Emergency Order, Mayor Bronin has suspended the re-enrollment deadline for the program this year, automatically re-enrolling anyone who previously enrolled. He also extended the enrollment deadline from May 15, 2020 to August 15, 2020 for seniors who want to enroll for the first time this year. Last year, the City’s Elderly Tax Relief Program gave nearly seven hundred seniors approximately $330,000 in tax relief.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to support our seniors as they stay home and stay safe, and automatically re-enrolling them in our Elderly Tax Relief Program is a simple step that will save them some time and effort,” said Mayor Bronin. “We’re also extending the enrollment period for new seniors, and we hope as many seniors as possible take advantage.”
Mayor Bronin also announced that, pursuant to Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 7S, he has submitted a resolution to the City Council to approve a tax deferment program that taxpayers would be eligible to apply for. The program would allow eligible taxpayers, businesses, nonprofits, and residents who have suffered a significant adverse economic impact because of COVID-19 and those that are providing relief to others significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to defer payment of real property, personal property and motor vehicles taxes for ninety days for taxes levied between March 10, 2020 and July 1, 2020. Within the bounds of eligibility defined by the State, the City would allow any taxpayer who says they have suffered economically because of COVID-19 to participate. Enactment is subject to approval by the City Council.
“I want to thank Governor Lamont for giving municipalities the latitude to delay taxes for our residents who are suffering economically,” said Mayor Bronin. “The tax deferment program, if approved by the City Council, will provide important relief to taxpayers during this time of unprecedented economic disruption.”