Property Tax Reduction (Circuit Breaker) Deadline is April 15

BOISE, IDAHO — March 13, 2008 — Homeowners who may qualify for up to $1,320 in property tax reduction have until April 15 to apply under Idaho’s Property Tax Reduction (Circuit Breaker) program. The benefits apply to property taxes on their primary residence, which must be in Idaho.

Eligible applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. They can have no more than $28,000 in income for 2007 after deducting nonreimbursed medical and other allowed expenses. They must also be in at least one of the following categories as of Jan. 1, 2008:

• Age 65 or older
• Widow(er) of any age
• Disabled (as recognized by the Social Security Administration, Veterans Affairs, Railroad Retirement Board, or Federal Civil Service)
• Blind
• Fatherless or motherless child under 18 years of age
• Former prisoner of war or hostage

Homeowners can get a property tax reduction application from their county assessor. They must file an application with the assessor by the April 15 deadline. Even if they don’t have all their income information, such as their federal income tax return, they must still file by the deadline. They will then need to get the information to the assessor as soon as possible.

For more information about property tax reduction, call your county assessor’s office or the Idaho State Tax Commission at 334-7736 in the Boise area or toll free at (800) 334-7756. You can also visit the Tax Commission Web site at tax.idaho.gov (click on Property Tax, then Property Tax Relief).