(1) In order to recognize and give effect to the principle of tax-free homes as a public policy in Mississippi, to encourage home building and ownership, and to give additional security to family groups, it is hereby declared that homes legally assessed on the land roll, owned and actually occupied as a home by bona fide residents of this state, who are heads of families, shall be exempt from the ad valorem taxes herein enumerated, on not in excess of Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($7,500.00) of the assessed value including an area of land not in excess of that specified hereinafter in this article. The exemption from taxes shall be limited to the following:

(a) All homeowners who are heads of families and who qualify under the provisions of this article shall be exempt from taxes levied in 1983 and payable in 1984 and from taxes levied in 1984 and payable in 1985 as follows:

(i) The ad valorem taxes levied by counties pursuant to Section 27-39-329. Amounts so exempted shall not be reimbursed by the state.

(ii) Ad valorem taxes levied for maintenance and current expenses by or for a county as authorized by Section 27-39-303, but the levy for such purpose in any year for which reimbursement is to be made shall not exceed the millage levied for such purpose for the 1984 fiscal year; or a levy for county roads or a road district as authorized by Section 27-39-305; or a levy for constructing and maintaining all bridges and culverts as authorized by Section 65-15-7, but the levy for either or both of such purposes for which reimbursement is to be made shall not in any event exceed seven (7) mills in any year; the countywide levy for the support of the minimum education program to produce the minimum local ad valorem tax effort required of a county as authorized by Section 37-57-1, and the supplementary school district tax levy for the support and maintenance of county schools as authorized by Section 37-57-105; provided, however, that the total of the levies made under said Sections 37-57-1 and 37-57-105, which shall be exempt under this article, shall be limited to twenty (20) mills for any affected property area, and in the event the total of such levies should exceed twenty (20) mills for any affected property area, the excess shall not be exempt under this article, and in such case, the levy for the support of the minimum education program of the county shall have priority as an exempt levy;

(iii) Ad valorem taxes levied for the support and maintenance of agricultural high schools within the limits and as authorized by Section 37-27-3, and ad valorem taxes levied for the support of junior colleges within the limits and as authorized by subsection (2) of Section 37-29-141; provided, however, that the exemption from taxation and reimbursement for tax loss for agricultural high schools and junior colleges, or any combination of same, shall not exceed three (3) mills in any one (1) year for any one (1) county;

(iv) Ad valorem taxes levied for the support of the minimum education program of a municipal separate school district to produce the minimum local ad valorem tax effort required of such municipal separate school district as authorized by Section 37-57-3, and the supplementary tax levy for the support and maintenance of the schools of a municipal separate school district as authorized by Section 37-57-105; provided, however, the total of the levies made under said Sections 37-57-3 and 37-57-105 which shall be exempt under this article shall be limited to fifteen (15) mills for any affected property area, except in those special municipal separate school districts as provided by Sections 37-7-701 through 37-7-743, the total of the levies made under Sections 37-7-739 and 37-57-105 for such special municipal separate school district which shall be exempt under this article shall not exceed twenty (20) mills, and in the event the total of such levies should exceed fifteen (15) mills for any affected property area, or twenty (20) mills in the case of a special municipal separate school district, the excess shall not be exempt under this article, and, in such case, the levy for the support of the minimum education program of the municipal separate school district shall have priority as an exempt levy;

(v) In the event any law referred to in this section is amended so as to authorize an increase in the tax levy for any purposes, such increase in the levy shall be applied to and taxes collected from the property owners on the entire assessed value of exempted homes; and the tax loss resulting from such increase shall not be reimbursed under the provisions of the Homestead Exemption Law, unless such law clearly specifies that the exempted assessed value of homes is exempt from such increase;

(vi) Ad valorem taxes levied under Sections 65-15-7 and 65-15-21 shall be used solely for purposes levied.

(b) Those homeowners who qualify for the exemptions provided for in subsection (a) of this section and who have reached the age of sixty-five (65) years on or before January 1 of the year for which the exemption is claimed; and service-connected, totally disabled American veterans who were honorably discharged from military service, upon presentation of proper proof of eligibility shall be exempt from any and all ad valorem taxes, including the forest acreage tax authorized by Section 49-19-115, on homesteads not in excess of Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($7,500.00) of assessed value thereof; provided, however, that property owned jointly by husband and wife and property owned in fee simple by either spouse shall be eligible for this exemption in full if either spouse fulfills the age or disability requirement. On all other jointly owned property the amount of the allowable exemption shall be determined on the basis of each individual joint owner’s qualifications and pro rata share of the property.

(c) Those homeowners who qualify for the exemptions provided for in subsection (a) of this section and who would be classified as disabled under the Federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.C. Section 416(i)), upon presentation of proper proof of eligibility shall be exempt from any and all ad valorem taxes, including the forest acreage tax authorized by Section 49-19-115, on homesteads not in excess of Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($7,500.00) of assessed value thereof; provided, however, that property owned jointly by husband and wife and property owned in fee simple by either spouse shall be eligible for this exemption in full if either spouse fulfills the disability requirement. On all other jointly owned property, the amount of the allowable exemption shall be determined on the basis of each individual joint owner’s qualifications and pro rata share of the property.

(d) Homeowners who qualify for exemption under subsection (c) of this section will not be included in the limitations of Section 27-33-59(e).

Reimbursement by the state of Mississippi to the various taxing units for the tax losses incurred because of the additional exemptions provided for under these subsections shall be made in accordance with the procedures outlined in Section 27-33-41.

This section shall not apply to claims for homestead exemptions filed in any calendar year subsequent to the 1984 calendar year.