I just found out about the Amendment 79 Tax Credit. I do not understand why I cannot receive the credit for all of the years I missed and why it was not automatically applied to all homeowners?

First we need to verify that the property that you are applying to receive the credit on is your primary/homestead residence. Arkansas State Law requires that all homeowners must apply to be declared eligible and to receive the credit, and the homeowner’s signature is required to process the application. All applications must be submitted by October 15th on any given year to receive the credit for that year. The tax credit is not automatically applied to all homeowners because it is a voluntary tax credit.