Council candidates trade tax charges
Sun colleague Jamie Smith Hopkins reports:
City Councilwoman Belinda Conaway’s challenger has blasted her in campaign mailings for receiving a tax break intended for owner-occupiers on a property in Baltimore County while claiming to live in Baltimore.
Now Conaway is blasting back, accusing Nick Mosby of improperly handling his late mother’s estate so her home would appear eligible for the same tax break.
In a statement sent out late Sunday, Conaway – who represents the 7th District in West Baltimore – said she has asked state Comptroller Peter Franchot to investigate.
At issue is a small estate Mosby opened shortly after Eunice Orange’s death in May 2010. It specifies that she did not own any property, according to documentation Conaway provided to the comptroller’s office. Orange did own a home on Hillenwood Road, and it has received homestead tax credits worth $2,086 in the two tax years since her death. The homestead credit can be collected only by a homeowner on his or her primary residence.
“Nick Mosby is a phony and hypocrite,” Conaway said in her statement.
But Mosby said Monday that the estate documentation specified that it was being opened for litigation purposes only and was not intended to deal with any assets. He said he filed that paperwork so he could get his mother’s medical records and will later open a formal estate to dispose of her home. He said Conaway’s accusation is “just creating smoke” and added that he found it “really appalling and disgusting” that she would bring his mother’s death into the campaign.
“It’s a non-issue,” he said. “No one’s hiding any property. … When there is an estate, the home will be included.”
Robert E. Young, director of the state Department of Assessments and Taxation, said the agency generally removes a homestead tax credit from a property on the July 1 following the owner’s death, if staffers are aware that the owner is no longer living. The tax year runs July 1 through June 30. The exception to that rule is if the home goes to an heir who will live in the property, he said. In that case, the heir gets to retain the homestead credit.
Mosby owns a home of his own. He said Monday that it’s not clear yet whether he or his sister will inherit their mother’s property.
Young said it’s the assessment agency’s policy to make an inquiry if staffers become aware of a home in limbo after the owner’s death. “We’d say, ‘Please tell us who’s going to reside here,’” he said. “If they say, ‘We don’t know,’ we’d say, ‘That’s fine, but we’ll have to take away the homestead.’”
Comments
A Conaway family member questioning anyone else on a fraudulent homestead tax credit is very amusing.
Posted by: Uncle Rob | September 12, 2011 2:42 PM
Belinda still is receiving a homestead property tax credit in Randallstown
http://charmcitycurrent.com/meister/2011/09/09/belinda-conaways-homestead-property-tax-credited-randllstown-property-taxes-were-paid-on-july-28-2011/ like she has for years! She said she was going to "correct" the problem but her homestead tax credit discounted semi-annual property taxes were once again paid (and not "corrected") in July.
Posted by: Adam Meister | September 12, 2011 3:06 PM
How low can you go...Belinda?! I honestly though the councilwoman was a bigger person than these unwarranted attacks have revealed?! Her arrogant claims against Mosby & Meistee is just plain idiotic & sickening!! I had a great deal of respect for the Conaway's until these incidents?! Smdh...
Posted by: Hassan Giordano | September 12, 2011 7:49 PM
Well this seems like there is smoke because he has collected the tax credit for the past 2 years. If this had not come out, I'm sure he would not have been in a rush to report the assessment agency. When you point a finger at someone, you have 3 fingers pointing back at you.
Posted by: Joan | September 13, 2011 6:34 AM
Joan, first of all, the article states that his mother died in May of 2010. That's not two years ago. Second, back taxes would be paid once the estate is settled and the property is transferred. If there is a likelihood that one of the heirs would inherit the house and move into it, the credit is still valid. It's standard operating procedure.
It's also a completely different situation because Mosby does not own that home, while Conaway does own the home in question. Her name is on the deed! It's apples and oranges, and Conaway just lost most of the respect I still had for her. It's sad.
Posted by: CHM3 | September 13, 2011 10:53 AM
CHM3-
The article stated that "the home on Hillenwood Road, and it has received homestead tax credits worth $2,086 in the two tax years since her death." If an heir is not currenlty living in the house, then they should not be able to keep the tax credit. You need to read the last paragraph of the article again.
Posted by: Joan | September 13, 2011 11:44 AM
Joan, you said "he has collected the tax credit for the past 2 years", whereas the article states (as you just quoted) that "it has received homestead tax credits worth $2,086 in the two tax years since her death.". It, not he, meaning the house. "Two tax years", not "two years" as you stated. I was referring to your implication that Mosby is receiving monetary compensation from the credit (which he is not) and that there is a difference between tax years and calendar years. If you are going to nitpick English, learn how to write more precisely in the first place.
The bottom line of all this campaign nastiness is that there is a big difference between signing a piece of paper saying that you are a resident of a house and then not living there (i.e., tax fraud) and an estate being in probate. Conaway received direct monetary benefit from fraudulently signing a legal document. Mosby has not received any monetary benefit. Those are the facts.
Posted by: CHM3 | September 13, 2011 1:36 PM