Arnold Seniors, Disabled Residents May Lose Property Tax Credit

Arnold Councilmen and appointees to the Arnold Aging and Disabilities Commission are concerned about the proposed China Cargo Hub at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

Arnold elected officials signed a letter, after the city council meeting on Sept. 1, asking Missouri state legislators to keep a property tax credit which may be eliminated to finance the hub, also called Aerotropolis. 

Legislators are considering eliminating a portion of the “Circuit Breaker” tax credit that helps Arnold seniors and residents with disabilities remain in their apartments and homes, said Greg Hall, Arnold Director of Administration and ’s representative to the Aging and Disabilities Committee. Hall spoke during the meeting at 2101 Jeffco Blvd. 

The credit is $750 for renters and $1,100 for homeowners who occupy their home, the Missouri Department of Revenue website states. 

Eliminating the credit to renters could generate $57.3 million, the Missouri Tax Credit Review Commission said in a report. Commissioners did not recommend eliminating the homeowner tax credit.

Many of the people eligible for the credit live in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the commission said. 

Since those facilities already receive other state and federal tax credits, the commission said tenants in those facilities should not receive the Circuit Breaker tax credit.

The Missouri Budget Project, a nonprofit, said in a separate report that only 16 percent, or about 16,600, seniors or disabled residents in Missouri lived in a nursing home or assisted living facility.

Eliminating the Circuit Breaker tax credit would increase the difficulty of finding affordable residences for people who already live near the poverty level, the nonprofit said.

Governor Jay Nixon and state legislators entered into a special meeting in Jefferson City on Tuesday to discuss the proposed China Cargo Hub.