Gov. Rick Perry is repaying $183 for a homestead tax break he received on a home near the Texas A&M; campus where he's never lived.
The AP's Jay Root broke the story yesterday about how Rick and Anita Perry purchased the house and have used it for their daughter Sydney while she attends college. Her roommates have paid some rent to the Perrys, as well.All this means that it can't properly be claimed as a homestead. For a homestead examption, the law specifies that the owner must be living in the home as of Jan. 1 of the tax year. The Perrys, who live in Austin in a home rented by taxpayers while the Governor's Mansion is restored, have never lived in the Bryan home.Homestead exemptions give owners a break of up to $15,000 on the taxable value of their homes, so that a $100,000 home, for instance, is taxed as if it were $85,000. It's safe to say that the tens of thousands homestead exemption filings in a county are not carefully and individually reviewed by officials.In a statement, though, Perry's spokesman Mark Miner tried to make a point of that cursory review."Although approved by the Brazos County Appraisal District, Gov. Perry today has chosen to withdraw the homestead exemption for his house in College Station. The governor plans to reimburse Brazos County $183.16 in tax savings for the year 2008," Miner said.He also pointed out that Perry releases his income taxes, which he is not required to do by law, because he believes in transparency. Perry did list the purchase of the house on his financial disclosure report, which is required by law.Confusion, secrecy marked rollout of Texas abuse investigations into transgender kids
Member Exclusive
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/GTCCJZCKZ5CEZPWI676LHWOXUU.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/TYQKGACQPVHNHCIY2ADAPPPBCA.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/YJT7FR45KZAR5LCFH7RT2B2NRQ.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/JH62O2EIQBFSROWOK66B4XLEMA.JPG)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/XD7NJMU5ARALHH3NMC6M43672E.png)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/KCLBB2K4QJGWJPNA3OTIQ27COE.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/NYWH27NDBRFNVN4V6JMTG6SPNI.png)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/2AAKIJRRJNARROARS7KOE225OM.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/3IZKTHRZAJHINJRBFZH52XN5EM.jpg)
