Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her husband are under investigation for allegedly filing tax exemptions for two separate homes in different counties, which is a violation of Georgia law.
WSB-TV reported that 2020 Georgia state tax records unearthed by investigative reporter Justin Gray revealed the couple was receiving a large tax break on their homes. A homestead exemption provides up to a $2,000 exemption from county and school taxes, according to Newsweek.
Both residences, one located in Fulton County and the other in Floyd County, violate the law which only allows one residential address for a homestead exemption.
“The property owners filed for homestead exemption in Fulton County in May of 2019 and it became effective for the 2020 tax year. Per GA law, you can only have one homestead exemption. In this case, Fulton County will consult with Floyd County to confirm and determine in which county the exemption is not valid,” the Fulton County Board of Assessors said in a statement.
William Perry, founder of the nonprofit Georgia Ethics Watchdogs, called out the Greenes, who left the line blank on the Floyd country application that asked if they had an active exemption on another property.
“You get a tax break for your permanent residence. But you don’t get to do that in two places. That’s against the law,” Perry said.
According to WSB-TV, Greene never stopped receiving a tax break for the Fulton residence and the penatly could total $12,000.
In an official statement from Greene’s office, her team accused the station of “being focused on paperwork, which is being taken care of.” They added that Gray, “needs to mind his own business instead of launching yet another pathetic attempt to smear me and my family.”
