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This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Same-sex couples get new CA property tax protections

This year's federal tax filing deadline is April 15.
This year's federal tax filing deadline is April 15.
(
Ken Teegardin/flickr Creative Commons
)

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Same-sex couples get new CA property tax protections

Prop 13 limits annual property tax increases in California, and long-term homeowners can save a lot by avoiding a reassessment. When married couples in California transfer ownership of their house — for instance, if one spouse dies — their property is not reassessed. 

But some same-sex couples have not been getting that benefit. One Highland Park couple saw their taxes increase by thousands of dollars a year when they put their home into a trust, because they registered their domestic partnership with a local government, not the state. A new bill recently signed by Governor Jerry Brown gives couples the right to get back their old property tax bill. 

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