Herschel Walker, a Republican running for the Senate in Georgia, has been given a tax break because he owns a home in Texas.
Walker will reportedly receive a $1,500 homestead exemption at his Dallas area property in 2022, despite the fact that this tax break is intended for permanent Texans.
According to the Texas Tribune, Walker saved $1,200 on his property taxes for his $3 million home last year because of the same exemption.
To qualify for a tax exemption in the state of Texas, a home must be the taxpayer’s primary residence.
If the homeowner moves out but does not set up a new primary residence, the exemption can be maintained.
Since the United States Constitution mandates that Senatorial candidates reside in the state for which they are running, Walker’s eligibility to receive the exemption raises additional issues regarding his candidacy.
Georgia’s Republican contender is neck-and-neck with the Democratic incumbent, Senator Raphael Warnock.
How much power the Democrats will have in the Senate will be decided in a runoff election between the two nominees in December.
According to the Texas Tribune, Walker purchased the home in the Dallas area in 2011 and has been claiming the exemption since 2012.
Former Texas governor Rick Perry (R) also got into trouble for abusing the homestead tax exemption but eventually paid back the money he owed.
In 2021, Walker became a registered voter in Atlanta, Georgia. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he said he lived with his wife in a house she owned in an Atlanta suburb.
Legendary Georgia Bulldogs football player Walker grew up in the Peach State and attended UGA.
Source: THE HILL