The purpose of a 25 percent tax cut for seniors remains unclear, and data may be insufficient to make a case for it, said some members of a task force evaluating the law.
“There is a deep feeling that this bill has no guidance, no definitive ramifications, no defined purpose, so they are really looking for help,” said Ted Meyerson, newly chosen chairman of the task force, referring to a law that gives a cut to residents age 70 and older who make less than $75,000.
The task force, which held its first meeting Wednesday and agreed to meet twice a week, has until the end of February to make recommendations to the County Council for any changes to the law.
Even as the County Council approved the measure this fall, questions remained about how the cut would affect other county services, where the money would come from and whether seniors were moving from Howard because of high taxes.
Now the group is left to “try to do some of the validation that didn?t take place to make sure the cut is there for the stated reasons,” said task force member Sue Buswell, representing the League of Women Voters.
Jeff Bronow, research chief at the county Department of Planning and Zoning, agreed to compile demographic information for the group, including trend data from 1995 to 2000, that shows who is moving in and out of Howard by age.
Meyerson asked the group to define the purpose and effect of the law, and the task force?s mission. Although the group made little progress, he said later he felt the first meeting went well.
