Press Releases
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today sent a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) urging them to include legislation to improve access to affordable rental housing to members of the military and their families in legislation the Finance Committee is set to debate providing tax relief to service members.
“As we have seen with the growth in troop numbers at Ft. Riley,” Senator Roberts said, “more military families are forced to live further and further away from the post, some as far away as Salina and Topeka. That puts an additional hardship on soldiers and their families.”
The issue is especially troubling in Geary County where affordable housing is in high demand as more and more families are redeployed to Ft. Riley. Under the recent base realignment process, thousands of troops and their families will be posted to Ft. Riley over the next several years.
In March, Senator Roberts introduced legislation to clarify the tax code so that members of the military would not have their basic allowance for housing count as income and work against them when applying to live in rental housing financed with tax credits.
The following is the text of the letter dated September 12, 2007:
Dear Chairman Baucus and Senator Grassley:
“In March, I introduced legislation to improve access to affordable rental housing for members of the military and their families. Across the country, a number of military installations are experiencing shortages of such housing. I encourage you to address this issue when the Senate Finance Committee considers legislation to provide tax relief to members of the United States military.
“Military personnel who live off their post or base receive a “basic allowance for housing” – supplemental funds that they may use toward rent in private developments. Unfortunately, under the current tax code, the basic allowance excludes some military members and their families from developments financed with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). Tenants qualify for lower-cost, LIHTC housing if their income does not exceed a certain percent of the average county income.
“Under current LIHTC guidelines, the basic allowance is counted as part of service members’ net household income and can disqualify them from LIHTC-financed housing. This places an unnecessary hardship on enlisted personnel, often forcing them to live further away from their post or base. The basic allowance is not disposable income. Service members cannot use it for anything other than housing and as a result, the basic allowance is not considered taxable income and is not a factor when they apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit. It should not be counted as income when service members apply to live in LIHTC housing.
“I appreciate your attention, and I urge you to clarify the tax code so that members of the military will not have their basic allowance count against them when applying to live in rental housing financed with tax credits.”
Thursday, Senator Roberts will be in Geary County joining Freddie Mac, Central National Bank and United Way of Junction City Geary County to announce a coordinated effort to provide affordable housing for our nation’s military.
Senator Roberts, a former Marine and former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is an outspoken advocate for men and women in uniform and their families. He is also a member of the Senate Committee on Finance.
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“As we have seen with the growth in troop numbers at Ft. Riley,” Senator Roberts said, “more military families are forced to live further and further away from the post, some as far away as Salina and Topeka. That puts an additional hardship on soldiers and their families.”
The issue is especially troubling in Geary County where affordable housing is in high demand as more and more families are redeployed to Ft. Riley. Under the recent base realignment process, thousands of troops and their families will be posted to Ft. Riley over the next several years.
In March, Senator Roberts introduced legislation to clarify the tax code so that members of the military would not have their basic allowance for housing count as income and work against them when applying to live in rental housing financed with tax credits.
The following is the text of the letter dated September 12, 2007:
Dear Chairman Baucus and Senator Grassley:
“In March, I introduced legislation to improve access to affordable rental housing for members of the military and their families. Across the country, a number of military installations are experiencing shortages of such housing. I encourage you to address this issue when the Senate Finance Committee considers legislation to provide tax relief to members of the United States military.
“Military personnel who live off their post or base receive a “basic allowance for housing” – supplemental funds that they may use toward rent in private developments. Unfortunately, under the current tax code, the basic allowance excludes some military members and their families from developments financed with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). Tenants qualify for lower-cost, LIHTC housing if their income does not exceed a certain percent of the average county income.
“Under current LIHTC guidelines, the basic allowance is counted as part of service members’ net household income and can disqualify them from LIHTC-financed housing. This places an unnecessary hardship on enlisted personnel, often forcing them to live further away from their post or base. The basic allowance is not disposable income. Service members cannot use it for anything other than housing and as a result, the basic allowance is not considered taxable income and is not a factor when they apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit. It should not be counted as income when service members apply to live in LIHTC housing.
“I appreciate your attention, and I urge you to clarify the tax code so that members of the military will not have their basic allowance count against them when applying to live in rental housing financed with tax credits.”
Thursday, Senator Roberts will be in Geary County joining Freddie Mac, Central National Bank and United Way of Junction City Geary County to announce a coordinated effort to provide affordable housing for our nation’s military.
Senator Roberts, a former Marine and former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is an outspoken advocate for men and women in uniform and their families. He is also a member of the Senate Committee on Finance.
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