A tax reform that's unfair to seniors

Some laws are well thought out and fairly address an issue facing taxpayers; others seem to make things worse.

Legislation that Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law last week changing requirements for the senior property tax exemption falls into that latter category.

Suburban township assessors and senior advocacy groups are criticizing the change that, beginning next fall, will force senior-citizen homeowners in Cook County to reapply annually for tax breaks they've been receiving automatically since 2008.

As one component of new tax legislation, amendment sponsors say it is designed to weed out individuals who are not qualified for the benefit but still get the tax credit year after year.

That's a noble goal, especially in Illinois where finding ways to scam the system is a tradition.

But, in this case, we agree the reform effort is tangled with unintended consequences, such as placing more burden on the homeowners who need the most help and adding new responsibilities and more work for assessors already strained by the ripple effects of funding cuts.

Under the current automatic rollover system used by the Cook County Assessor's office, seniors who showed proof of age and residency needed to apply for an exemption only once. The office says more than 284,000 senior homeowners take advantage of the program.

The average homestead exemption last year was $270 for seniors living in Arlington Heights, $302 in Bartlett, $311 in Elgin and $248 in Des Plaines.

With the change, taxpayers over 65 will have to send the office copies of their property tax bills and drivers' licenses each year to get the break.

Wheeling Township Assessor Dan Patlak told the Daily Herald's Kerry Lester that he predicts a number of seniors rightfully entitled to the exemption will forget to apply each year.

"Others," he said, "will discover that they didn't get it, and file a certificate of error. That will create more difficulty for the township offices."

Senior citizen advocates say the change could be particularly problematic for older, homebound adults who may be confused and have trouble understanding what it is about.

The chances that such a notice will be tossed into the garbage or filed away and forgotten aren't hard to imagine.

Neither are the headaches township officials will have sorting through the paperwork and trying to rectify those problems.

Wrong time? Wrong approach? It's clear this well-intended change needs a bit more study and tweaking to eliminate the unnecessary burdens.

As one senior citizen advocate said, it amounts to an "unfunded mandate for the state".

We strongly agree.