some tips for surviving taxation in the new detroit...

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The application period is July 1 through September 15. The City of Detroit may provide a discount to homeowners who are at least 65 years old and have a Principal Residence Exemption on file. The Solid Waste Fee is $250.00. Qualifying Seniors will receive a discount of $125.00. If you continue to own and occupy the home, you will not need to reapply each year. CLICK HERE

If you own and occupy your residence you can qualify for a significant reduction of your property taxes by bringing your proof of residence and recent utility bills to the City Assessor's office in the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. NOTE: If you already have a PRE, you may want to double check that it is still in place! The City Assessor has recently undertaken an audit of PREs in the city in order to "reduce fraud," and as a result many folks who legitimately had the PRE were stripped of it without being told. If your tax bill says "PRE = 0" then you no longer have it and need to re-apply!

Detroit residents whose license plate is registered in the city qualify for a 50% reduction in parking fines, but only if you pre-register with ParkDetroit (a third-party vendor) and have no outstanding parking tickets:  CLICK HERE

There is also the HOPE program that a lot of people still don't know about, and other related programs that can help low-income folks reduce or exempt their taxes: CLICK HERE