Board of Education Seeks Tax Relief For Paulding County Seniors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Paulding County Board of Education has approved a resolution calling for a public referendum to lower
education property taxes for Paulding County’s senior citizens.
Under current property tax law, Paulding County property owners 65 years of age and older have a 50 percent
exemption on all education ad valorem property taxes levied by the school district, including ad valorem taxation to
pay interest on or to retire school bond indebtedness. Additionally, all Paulding County property owners 70 years of
age and older are completely exempt from all ad valorem education property taxes levied by the school district.
Under the new resolution approved by the Board of Education at its regular meeting on Oct. 26, 2021, Paulding
County property owners 65 years of age and older would still have a 50 percent exemption on all education ad
valorem property taxes levied by the school district but would be completely exempt from ad valorem taxation to
pay interest on or to retire school bond indebtedness. Additionally, the resolution calls for a two-year phase-in to
lower the age at which seniors receive a 100-percent exemption from all education ad valorem property taxes to 68
years from the current 70 years. Beginning January 1, 2023, property owners 69 years of age and older would be
completely exempt from all education ad valorem property taxes, including ad valorem taxation to pay interest on or
to retire school bond indebtedness, and beginning January 1, 2024, the age for a total exemption from all education
ad valorem property taxes would lower to 68.
“The Paulding County Board of Education is committed to fiscal responsibility and providing Paulding County
students the highest quality education possible through responsible taxation of property owners,” said school board
Chairman Jeff Fuller. “Lowering education property taxes for seniors who don’t have children in our schools makes
common sense, and this measure extends those exemptions to a wider group of citizens. It also does so in a
responsible way by phasing in the age reduction over two years, which is especially important for a low-wealth
school district such as Paulding County.”
The resolution first must be considered this spring by the Georgia Legislature as local legislation. Modification of
the current exemptions would require passage of a local Referendum to be voted on by Paulding County citizens in
November 2022.