Lucy McBath Forced to Pay Back Taxes After Homestead Exemption Revoked

Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06) was forced to pay three years’ worth of back taxes for improperly claiming the Homestead Exemption, despite claiming she had “diligently” paid her taxes in Georgia. According to All on Georgia, “the McBath’s did not meet the residency requirements to call Cobb County their primary residence for the three tax years leading up to the election.”

The county assessed that McBath’s husband, who owns the property, is a legal resident of Tennessee citing his voter and vehicle registration. Curtis McBath has been claiming a Homestead Exemption on his Georgia property since at least 2000, however state law only allows taxes to be reexamined for the three previous years.

The Homestead Exemption has been a consistent thorn in the couple’s side. The McBath’s double dipped on their Homestead Exemptions in 2009 and 2010, claiming the exemption on both their Cobb County and Douglas County homes. In Georgia, couples are only allowed to claim an exemption on one home.