Tyler Perry, an African-American filmmaker and billionaire businessman, has pledged a donation of $2.75 million to support 300 older homeowners in Atlanta by paying off their overdue property taxes.
This generous act by the African-American actor will significantly reduce the financial burden of these 300 elderly Atlanta homeowners, allowing them to keep their homes in the face of rising real estate taxes.
Perry, who earned $175 million last year and ranks third on Forbes’ list of the top 10 highest-paid entertainers of 2022, has already donated $750,000 for the first year to cover back taxes and any increase in property taxes.
He has also pledged an additional $500,000 per year for the next four years to ensure that seniors do not have to pay such taxes, bringing his total donation to $2.75 million.
Tyler Perry to cover 20-year tax hike for 100 low-income seniors
Perry’s recent move will cover the 300 low-income seniors’ back property taxes. The assistance, which will be administered by Invest Atlanta Partnership, the nonprofit arm of Atlanta’s economic development authority, will cover city, county, and school taxes. He will also cover any tax increases over the next 20 years for 100 low-income seniors.
Atlanta Mayor Andrew Dickens thanked Perry for his generosity, stating: “Tyler Perry has been engaged in our ongoing conversations around legacy resident retention, and he told me he wanted to do something to support these efforts. Thanks to his generosity, more Atlantans will be able to remain in the communities they built.”
“Atlanta’s growth and prosperity should not come at the expense of our legacy residents — many of whom have been priced out of their homes in previous years,” he concluded.
Tyler Perry ranks 2,510th among world’s richest
Perry, a top-ranking writer, producer, director, and actor, has a net worth of $1 billion, primarily derived from his immensely successful “Madea” franchise, which grossed over $660 million. He is not only one of the wealthiest Black billionaires in the United States but also the 2,510th richest person in the world.
Perry owns 100 percent of his creative output, which includes over 1,200 TV episodes, 22 feature films, and at least a dozen stage plays, as well as a 330-acre studio on the outskirts of Atlanta. He recently signed a four-film deal with Amazon Studios, a television and film producer and distributor based in the United States that is also an Amazon subsidiary.
