Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

opinf.on Ho. 04.800 Res conatructim of Art. 8, see. la, Cmetltation of Texan,aa to who ie entitled. to tile?:ty exclnptlon there~ providedfor. We acknowledgereceiptof j&r requestiOr an opinionfran this departmenton the queetlonaa to who le allowedhmeetead exemptian on ta;r paymentaaooordingtothe hcwstea& exemption law. Your reque&etaCee the following: "Thequeetlonla whethera baoheloror sin&e peraonwhohaeneve~beenmarrLsd,wouldbeexapt the same am amarrledcaa. TW...memwe.have In queeiion olnlme ex:ePption fti the rermk that he naintati ahme. Bie motherlime althhtiabat ehe claim exmptlon in another aematr.* On A-t 26, 1933,the people‘~ff‘TeZbe'a&~tiid'8ebtion'l-a, &tioti 8 of'theConetitntiQnof'Texae,~whi&'pro~ti& thiit threethouiaad dollam of tA& seeeeeedtaxablevalueof all reeldenoe haneeteads; ti now defined by law,shallbe exemptfras tfuatlqnfor all Statepurposes.TWa ~Seotlonie self-anaotiag. Aa will be noted,Seotlonl-a,drt,lole8, lImItithe exemption to reeldenoehmeeteadaaa now definedby law. Ileltker t2te Constitution-nor the statatoryLawsdifferentiate betweenortiefinerealdenoeorbueineea hameetaade, held thata familymay o$in.. but Oar oourW have universally either. Bmt Article8, ~Seotlonla, limitsthe exmptlon to re8ideWe1.. haaeswad8. In the oaaepzeaented,the son,belngasingl.eman,is~p?W faalenot a oonatituentof a family. Mrs. WlllleO*Ieal,Pege 2 (0-1800) We do not my, however,f&ata ain@.emm mot be a oomtituent ofafamilyandolakahcmeetead. ~Thefezm"famlly*haanotbeendefined by the etatuteand thereirraoeet rule for detelain~jast whatietiant by tbattarr. But la the came of Booo vs. Wean, 50 Tax. 483, Aesoclate JuetloeBomer said; ‘We dednoe frm fhe authoritiee the following generalmlm tedetQmlnewhen the relatlanofa faaIly,se oantmplatedbg-thelaw,exlatsl "1. It la one of a roolalatatue, notofnera oontiraet. *2. lagalor roral obllgatlonm the hea to mpport the other members. '3. Correspomdln# etateof dependmoeon the part of the othermembers for thie support,* Inapplyingthe abovegeneralEuleetieremumet, of oourae,be to the aupportbytbehead of the family. Onme Y. aotnaloontribntlon 26 S.W.26‘ck7. Butmeleter, Yourrequeetetatesthat ~iaman~s mother,wholime wlthhti, OWM land InanotheroountyofthtiStateaudthatshe lo olaaimclrrgthat lendaeahraestead. It la well nettledthat a famllq in no ome Ia en- titledtomore t&anonekmerrtead,andltisnotpemltted thatdlfferent oomtitnanteof the mamefmlly may h&e separate hQerteada. Crowder~8. &lon IatlonalBank (Cc& of App.) 261s.~. 375. We are not fmdiehedwith faotati 66 Whetheror not the elenenta for the aasertlun neoeeeery of the homesteadby a singleman am presentin thlaoaee. We are, therefore, of the opinionthatpropertyin questionIE notentitled~to ahcmesteadexaptlon from taxation. Trustingthst~the forego- fnllyanewereyour inquiry,weare Youravery tmly APPRovmm53 12, 1940 /e/ Gerald0. Mann A!WDMEY -0FTEYAs ATXDREY tIamaALw TBXAS By /a/,Blohard H. Cooke RRc:B: tiw &PPROVBD RiohardH. aocke OPnmX cm Aeslatant By /e/BUB ohallmaa