LEGISLATIVE UPDATES - JULY 2021

A message from MA State Senator Diana DiZoglio

Hello again,

As a member of the Legislature’s Elder Affairs Committee, one of my top focuses this session is assessing bills filed that impact our older adults. Among these pieces of legislation is an important bill I have co-sponsored, Senate Bill 1823, An Act relative to property tax deferral for estates.

This legislation would reduce the property tax burden on both senior citizens and their heirs. It reforms the payment schedule on the Property Tax Deferral Program to offer a one-year grace period of lower interest rates for a deceased person’s family to settle an estate, as well as for veterans and their families. The bill also provides town assessors with greater discretion in granting hardship exemptions to those struggling to keep up with their property taxes.

All too many older adults, in the Merrimack Valley and across Massachusetts, face being forced out of their homes due to increasing property values that result in unaffordable tax bills. Seniors who own their homes and are determined to remain in them often struggle to make ends meet as time goes by, faced with a harrowing decision over whether they can afford food, prescription drugs or heat, in addition to a property tax bill.

It is imperative that we do all we can to provide seniors with the resources needed to remain in their homes and maintain economic security.

I wholeheartedly support this bill and am committed to advocating for its passage during the legislative session.

If you have any questions on this or any other piece of legislation, please feel free to contact me anytime via email at Diana.Dizoglio@masenate.gov or phone at 978-984-7747.

Yours in service,

Diana