Revere voters will have the opportunity on Nov. 7 to start the process of tax relief for qualified seniors. Under the terms of the Question 1, qualifying senior citizems, defined as those earning less than $57,000, will be able to apply for a 10-percent real-estate tax break.
On average, the savings will amount to about $451 on their property tax bill. According to city officials, almost 1,000 local senior homeowners will qualify for the program with a cost to the city of about $450,000.
Mayor Brian Arrigo, as well as many elected officials, support this measure. According to Mayor Arrigo, the senior tax-relief measure would help those struggling to stay in their homes and also serve as a model for a general 10-percent residential tax-exemption.
No one can forsee all the issues that may come up with a larger residential tax exemption. The senior tax exemption would give city officials a controlled test case where any problems of rolling this tax exemption out to more homeowners can be seen before any major financial problems occur. We support Mayor Arrigo and other elected officials in trying to get this measure passed. A program that makes Revere affordable for many people to own their own home is a worthy undertaking as our community will be the stronger for it.
