The Bill reads “An amount equal to seventy-five per cent of the amount paid as dues to a homeowners association shall be deductible from taxable income on the annual personal income tax return. The amount paid as dues to a homeowners association allowable as a deduction under this subsection shall not result in taxable income being less then zero.”

There is, as you can see, no reference whatsoever to dues meaning simply road maintenance fees.

It is true however that many legislators would like to see this amended to exclude from a deduction the amount of dues that goes towards amenities such as swimming pools, tennis courts and other recreational items. This is to insure that state taxpayers do not subsidize recreation in private communities.

“Rep. Mario Scavello’s bill would permit owners in community associations to deduct up to 75% of your annual association assessments from your state income tax return.

Comment by Tony Campisi — July 23, 2009 @ 9:18 am”

The fact is that Mario’s bill would only permit you to deduct 75% of the amount that the association spends on “road maintenance” from your state income tax return. So that you will be lucky if you are able to deduct 15% of what you actually pay for annual association assessments!

How about asking Mario to include 75% for Security since we don’t get any of that either.

Contact Mario at (570) 839-8314

Your question regarding how the “Scavello” Bill would help senior citizens is a good one. CAI favors legislation similar to that passed in NJ that would provide a community association a rebate from the local government (to which your property taxes are paid) for municipal services that the local government does not provide. This would address the issue of community associations, and homeowners who live there, paying twice for services such as road repair, refuse collection etc. How does this help senior citizens? It helps everyone who lives in a community association by eliminating the need to pay for municipal services twice – once in the form of property taxes and once in the form of hiring a contractor to provide the service that is not received from the local government.

In response to the comment regarding CAI’s Public Policies and Rights and Responsibilities document – CAI is a non-profit membership association that community association volunteers, managers and business and service providers join voluntarily. We provide education and advocacy. We are not a state agency nor a regulatory authority. We can suggest, urge, offer best practices, educate and advocate, etc. But we cannot force anyone to take our advice, read our publications or comply with best practices.

I am a U.S. Marine who took a pledge to defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I have come home, and found that my wife and children are living in a Private Community. How should I proceed, to guarantee my family their Constitutional rights?

“Rep. Mario Scavello’s bill would permit owners in community associations to deduct up to 75% of your annual association assessments from your state income tax return.”

I DON’T PAY ANY STATE INCOME TAX! I AM ON A FIX INCOME!

SO WHAT WILL REP. MARIO SCAVELLO BILL DO FOR ME?

I noticed that there is a lot of:

Cai; urges, encourages, supports, opposes etc. throughout the policies contained in the Public Policies book, but I would like to know what exactly is the role of CAI if and when a particular community is blatantly violating pretty much the entire policy book you offered a link to.

What, if anything, can or will CAI do for violators of the policy book now in question?