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FAIRFAX, Va. - Virginians have accepted a proposal to expand tax exemptions for the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty.
According to the Virginia Department of Elections, the state’s Constitution currently allows the General Assembly to exempt from taxation the principal residence of the surviving spouse of any soldier determined to have been killed in action – or killed during combat.
The ‘yes’ vote on the proposed constitutional amendment means an expansion of the current tax exemption so that it is also available to all surviving spouses of soldiers who are determined by the Department of Defense to have died in the line of duty – a broader definition that includes any death that occurs while a service member is performing their official duties.
The proposed constitutional amendment asked, "Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended so that the tax exemption that is currently available to the surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action is also available to the surviving spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty?"
Full text of the amendment is available online.