AUGUSTA – Rep. Janet Mills, D-Farmington, would like to remind her constituents that applications for the 2007 Property Tax and Rent Refund Program are now available.
Maine homeowners and renters may be eligible for a refund of up to $2000 through the program, which is commonly known as the “Circuit Breaker” program. The refund is based on property tax or rent paid as a percentage of household income.
The Legislature expanded this program significantly in recent years so that it is no longer available only for low income individuals but for many middle income renters and owners as well. Year after year, some of the money budgeted for this program goes unused because people are simply not aware of the program or just don’t take advantage of the program.
“This is a fairly quick application, and the possible refunds are well worth the few minutes it takes to apply,” said Mills. “A refund of a couple of hundreds dollars could at least offset skyrocketing energy prices.”
The Circuit Breaker program is one of the few ways in which the State can have some impact on local property taxes since valuations and assessments are governed by the Maine Constitution and collected by the municipalities, not state government.
Applications are available on-line at www.maine.gov/revenue and can be printed out and mailed or submitted electronically. Applicants can also have a paper copy of the application sent to them by contacting Rep. Mills at 778-4848 or by e-mail at jmills@mainelegal.net. Please include your name and mailing address with your request.
