Brett McKibben, tax appraiser for the Howard County District, said veterans who meet the requirements could be looking at a goose-egg when they get their tax bills this season.

“This new exemption extends only to their homestead,” said McKibben. “So, if they have a home and four rent houses, the exemption will only cover where they live, not the rental property or any other business properties of farmland they lease or rent out.

“To qualify for the exemption, they have to have a service-related disability and they either have to be at 100 percent disabled or have some level of unemployability. For example, if they are listed as 60 percent unemployable, they will automatically qualify. However, if they are only 80 percent disabled with no unemployability, they won't be able to use the exemption.”

McKibben said his office is planning to send out letters to area veterans to explain the new exemption.

“The letters should help the vets understand the exemption,” said McKibben, “which is in addition to the existing disabled veterans exemption. It's not an either-or situation. The vets will get this new exemption on top of the old one.

“The real kicker on this one, and what's caused some confusion concerning it, is the unemployability requirement. This isn't something we've had to look at in the past, so there are plenty of people still learning how to factor that in. Unemployability won't be a matter of percentages like disability is, it's simply a matter of yes or no. If you have any percentage of unemployability, you will qualify.”

And while the new exemption certainly helps provide some tax relief to Texas disabled veterans, McKibben said it's still unclear what kind of effect it will have on tax revenues in Howard County.

“We have quite a few veterans in Big Spring. However, a lot of them don't have service-related disabilities, so it's really hard to say what kind of impact it will have on tax revenues for the taxing entities,” said McKibben.

According to a statement released by Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, the exemption is a step in the right direction.

“Texas has done the right thing by providing property tax relief for our military men and women who have served their country and paid a heavy price,” said Combs.

McKibben said the exemption won't be automatically applied to tax bills, so taking advantage of the new law will require some effort on the part of the taxpayers.

“There's a new form they have to fill out to apply for the new exemption,” said McKibben. “It won't be automatically applied, so they have to come in and fill out the papers and show their most recent papers from the Veterans Administration that proves their level of disability.”

In the meantime, McKibben said he and his office will work toward having certified values ready for the taxing entities by the end of July.

For more information on the exemption, call 263-8301.

An application form for veterans and appraisal districts to use can be found on the Comptroller’s Web site at http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxforms/vetexempt.pdf. Veterans may also need to contact their mortgage lenders to adjust their escrow payments.

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it