This story was first published by Associated Press in March 13, 2009

Maryland tax officials said that a New York representative is not entitled to a residents’ tax break on the house in a Washington suburb that he has claimed as his primary residence for at least 10 years.

The representative, Eliot Engel, calls himself a lifelong resident of the Bronx, where he rents an apartment. But he and his wife list the house in Potomac, Md., as their primary home on Maryland property tax forms.

They paid nearly $500,000 for the house in 1993, and it has almost doubled in value. The Engels have received thousands of dollars in tax credits that are reserved for people who declare Maryland their home.

The state agency made the decision on the credits late last month.

Mr. Engel, whose district includes much of the northern Bronx and parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties, is not the only politician who has been found to be improperly receiving the credit. Maryland tax officials first revoked his credit in late 2005, about the time that several elected officials representing other states were informed that they would have their credits removed.

Mr. Engel and his wife contested the loss of their Maryland primary-residence status, which was reinstated, then revoked again after Maryland laws were changed recently.

NOTE: As of 2019 the house in Potomac, MD is no longer listed as ‘primary residence’

Click here to read the AP story in full here.

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