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An Act To Change the Eligibility Requirements for the Property Tax Fairness Credit
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 36 MRSA §5219-KK, sub-§2-A, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 474, Pt. B, §16, is amended to read:
 
2-A. Credit in 2018 and 2019.   For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2018 and before January 1, 2020, a resident individual is allowed a credit against the taxes imposed under this Part equal to the amount by which the benefit base for the resident individual exceeds 6% of the resident individual's income. The credit may not exceed $750 for resident individuals under 65 years of age as of the last day of the taxable year or $1,200 for resident individuals 65 years of age and older as of the last day of the taxable year. In the case of married individuals filing a joint return, only one spouse is required to be 65 years of age or older to qualify for the $1,200 credit limitation. Married taxpayers filing separate returns do not qualify for the credit under this section.
Sec. 2.  36 MRSA §5219-KK, sub-§2-B  is enacted to read:
 
2-B.  Credit in 2020 and after.     For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, a resident individual is allowed a credit against the taxes imposed under this Part equal to the amount by which the benefit base for the resident individual exceeds 5% of the resident individual's income. The credit may not exceed $750 for resident individuals under 65 years of age as of the last day of the taxable year or $1,200 for resident individuals 65 years of age and older as of the last day of the taxable year. In the case of married individuals filing a joint return, only one spouse is required to be 65 years of age or older to qualify for the $1,200 credit limitation. Married taxpayers filing separate returns do not qualify for the credit under this section.
 
SUMMARY
This bill changes the formula for calculation of the property tax fairness credit to expand the credit to residents whose property taxes or rent constituting property taxes on homestead property exceeds 5%, rather than 6% in current law, of the residents' income for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020.