The well-intentioned proposal by Gov. Janet Mills — to provide “repayable loans” to cover annual property tax bills for some residents age 65 and older, to those permanently disabled, or others who are unable to pay their property taxes — fails to consider that “repayable loans” undermine the provisions of a Maine law that exists and acts as a “safety net” for those unable to pay all or part of their property taxes because of low income, poverty, infirmity, disability, or other hardships, without the need to repay anything.
The purpose and intention of M.R.S.A. Title 36, Property Taxes, Cities and Towns, which allows for “the abatement of property taxes,” prevents cities and towns from forcing the sale or foreclosure on properties, while also not collecting property taxes from those unable to pay.
Some local governments don’t bring a lot of attention to Maine’s abatement law since “repayable loans” favor cities and towns, and not residents who need help with their property taxes, which can otherwise often be abated under the provisions of the Maine law that’s already in place, compared to “loans” that need to be repaid at some point.
Many property taxpayers may not be aware of Maine’s abatement law; or perhaps they don’t know the meaning of the word “abatement,” which is defined as “the ending, reduction, or lessening of something” — one example being property taxes that can be eliminated by being “abated,” unlike “repayable loans.”
Dr. Louis Talarico II, New Gloucester
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