Portsmouth council hikes veterans tax credits to fullest amount possible

Jeff McMenemy, Portsmouth Herald
·2 min read

PORTSMOUTH – The City Council voted unanimously to increase the property tax credits that city veterans can receive from $500 a year to $750.

Veterans who are city property owners can receive either the Optional Veterans Tax Credit or the All Veterans Tax Credit, according to City Councilor Josh Denton, who served active duty in the U.S. Army.

The council voted to increase each of the tax credits during a recent meeting in support of a motion Denton made.

Denton pushed to increase the tax credits for city veterans “because they earned these benefits and they should be proud to use them.”

Josh Denton, Commander of VFW Post 168, center, takes part in the Veterans Day ceremony in Goodwin Park in Portsmouth as Rev. Ellen Quaadgras from South Church and Mayor Deaglan McEachern also take part Nov. 11, 2022.
Josh Denton, Commander of VFW Post 168, center, takes part in the Veterans Day ceremony in Goodwin Park in Portsmouth as Rev. Ellen Quaadgras from South Church and Mayor Deaglan McEachern also take part Nov. 11, 2022.

Denton successfully pushed in 2017 to have the city approve the All Veterans Tax Credit because it broadened the number of people who could receive a tax credit for their service, he said.

“I think it’s the most important thing I’ve done on the council,” he said about his advocacy for veterans.

The council last year also supported his request to increase the disabled veterans tax credit in the city to $4,000.

“Portsmouth has now given the full extent by law that we can for veterans tax credits,” he said.

City Councilor Vince Lombardi, a veteran of the Vietnam War, recused himself from voting on the tax credits.

Denton decided to vote because as a renter he cannot receive the property tax credits.

He pointed to a recent change in the law that allows servicemen and women on active duty to receive veterans tax credits.

“If you’re on active duty you’re not technically a veteran even though you’re serving, but you can now receive the tax credits,” he said. “A lot of veterans don’t know about that.”

During the recent council meeting, Mayor Deaglan McEachern credited Denton with working “incredibly hard” to advocate for veterans.

The mayor noted that Denton has made sure “the service they (veterans) have given our city and our country is thanked in any possible way the City Council can.”

Veterans must apply by April 15 to see if they qualify for tax credits for the 2023 tax year, Denton said.

To learn more veterans tax credits and how to qualify and apply, visit the Assessor’s website at https://www.cityofportsmouth.com/assessors/tax-credits-veterans.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth NH council hikes veteran tax credits to top amount possible