The bill amends Section 7-38-17 NMSA 1978 regarding the claiming of tax exemptions for veterans. It establishes that head-of-family, veteran, and veterans' organization exemptions do not need to be claimed in subsequent tax years if there is no change in eligibility or ownership of the property. These exemptions will be applied automatically by county assessors in future tax years. Additionally, the bill clarifies that other exemptions for nongovernmental entities must be claimed but can also be automatically applied in subsequent years if eligibility remains unchanged.

The bill also introduces new requirements for the proof of eligibility for exemptions, which must be filed with the county assessor in a form prescribed by the department. It mandates that the veterans' services department issue certificates of eligibility for veteran and veterans' organization exemptions and includes verification procedures to prevent multiple claims. Furthermore, it establishes penalties for individuals who intentionally claim exemptions they are not entitled to, as well as for county assessors who allow such claims. Notably, the bill removes a provision that previously allowed disabled veterans or their surviving spouses to claim exemptions for the current tax year without regard to previous years.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 7-38-17