Skyrocketing real estate assessments relating to real property payments was a growing problem for elderly residents of Washington, DC. As a solution, AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly developed the idea of tax deferral legislation whereby an elderly person could defer payment of real estate taxes up to 25% of the value of their home until the individual owner dies or sells his or her home. For this project AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly recruited help from top ranked law firm Steptoe & Johnson who aided the process by conducting extensive research and by drafting the new legislation. Going one step further, Steptoe & Johnson also assisted the AARP DC by helping to shepherd the tax legislation through the DC City Council. Presently, the legislation is slated to become law in spring of 2006.
Contact Information:
Jan Allen May AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly 601 E Street N.W. Washington, DC 20049 Phone: (202) 434-2164 Fax: (202) 434-6464 jmay@aarp.org
LSC:
America's Partner for Equal Justice 