County's Fallen Heroes Tax Credit Expanded

The voted to expand the Fallen Heroes Tax Credit for Carroll County residents killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.

Currently the property tax credit is available to surviving spouses of fallen law enforcement officers and rescue workers and provides a 100 percent tax credit for up to five years.

The expansion will extend the credit to surviving spouses of correctional officers. It will also make the credit available to permanently and totally disabled law enforcement officers, correctional officers or rescue workers.

The Board expanded both the eligibility for the credit, and the term of the credit. Rather than five years, surviving spouses with minor children can now receive the credit until the last minor child reaches age 18, the survivor remarries or cohabitates, whichever occurs first.

The current five year term of the credit available for eligible surviving spouses of fallen heroes with no children, is now expanded to provide for an additional five year term.

The term of the credit available for disabled heroes will continue until the disabled hero is no longer permanently and totally disabled.

Commissioner Haven Shoemaker said he "understands that the loss or disability of a loved one is never easy, but he hopes that this credit will aid the families of those who serve the community by putting their lives in harm’s way each day for the benefit of all county residents.”

Watch the commissioners discuss this issue on the county's video archive.

Information in this article came from a Carroll County government press release.