Senator Addiego bill providing veteran tax exemption to widowed spouses advances

TRENTON – Senator Dawn Marie Addiego’s bill making surviving spouses of veterans eligible for the state’s $3,000 Income Tax Exemption for Veterans cleared the Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Thursday.

The exemption is currently only available to surviving spouses if their veteran spouse died that year. The bill (S-2398) would allow spouses to receive the exemption every year going forward.

“The sacrifices made throughout the years by the wives, husbands and partners of our veterans are not lost on me,” said Addiego (R-8). “They too give up a part of themselves for our nation and are often what keeps our brave men and women in the military courageous enough to keep fighting.”

The income tax exemption was originally championed by Addiego and written into legislation to bolster the Transportation Trust Fund. It is available to all veterans who were honorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces, regardless of their income, as of the 2017 tax year. Addiego pushed for a change in the bill after hearing from surviving spouses of veterans that they were only eligible for the exemption for the first year.

“I’m confident that surviving spouses of our veterans will soon get the financial help they deserve. There are not enough ways to thank them for all they have done to support our country,” Addiego said.

Through social media, letters and email, the senator has reached out to thousands of veterans since the $3,000 deduction was introduced in order to make them aware of the new benefit that is available to them.

To learn more about the exemption, visit the Division of Taxation at https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/military/vetexemption.shtml.