COMMUNITY

San Juan veterans can get help with property tax exemptions

Mike Easterling
Farmington Daily Times

San Juan County veterans seeking a property tax exemption can get some help with that process early next month when the County Assessor’s Office stages an event designed to assist them with filing an application.

The in-office service day for veterans will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 at the county assessor’s office in the San Juan County Administration Building, 100 S. Oliver Drive in Aztec.

Staff members from the assessor’s office and the New Mexico Department of Veterans Affairs will be on hand to help veterans and unmarried spouses of veterans file for property tax exemptions and 100% permanent and total service-connected disabled property tax exemptions, according to a news released issued by the county.

County officials say the exemptions will be granted to qualified applicants on the spot. Under state law, honorably discharged veterans who quality for the exemption can claim a $4,000 reduction off the taxable value of their primary residence, county spokesman Devin Neeley said. Those with a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability are allowed to waive their entire property tax bill.

Neeley said approximately 2,800 San Juan County veterans have earned the exemption, with about 100 new exemptions approved each year. The exemptions remain active each year unless a veteran moves, Neeley said.

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Those interested in applying for an exemption need to bring a copy of a DD-214 form, a National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Form 56-16, a U.S. Public Health Service Form 1867 or a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs declaring 100% permanent and total service-connected disabled rating.

Applicants also will need to show proof of their New Mexico residency by presenting a valid New Mexico driver’s license, a voter registration card or their latest New Mexico income tax return.

For more information about the event, call Candice Pioche-Zuni at 505-916-4835 or the County Assessor’s Office at 505-334-6157.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 ormeasterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.