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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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Majority
Leader Bill DeWeese |
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House Democrats working to eliminate property taxes
HARRISBURG, Nov. 1 – House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, Majority Whip Keith McCall and Finance Committee Chairman Dave Levdansky said there is a comprehensive agenda of property tax relief legislation that could be brought up for a vote by the full House of Representatives before the end of November.
“While the proposals to attack the property tax are varied, the underlying motive force is clear and concise: homeowners are carrying too heavy a burden of property taxes, and lawmakers must lessen – ideally remove – that burden by any means necessary,” DeWeese said. ”Thankfully, diligent bipartisan committee work from Chairman Levdansky’s contingent and historic embracement of ideas from taxpayers and lawmakers of all stripes have put us in position to bring a mélange of proposals to the brink of floor debate and an up or down vote on their merits. May the most effective tax-cutting plan claim victory before the turkeys are carved.”
“Eliminating the property tax for homeowners is our goal, and achieving that goal will require about $9 billion each and every year,” McCall said. “We’ve already moved forward to remove the constitutional barrier to eliminating property taxes, and we want to bring together the best of all possible plans that move the burden of paying for schools to people who can afford it instead of concentrating that burden on homeowners and seniors. We’ve come a long way by bringing slot gaming to the state and expanding the Property Tax Rent Rebate program, but now we’re poised to deliver that relief to every homeowner in the state.”
“On Wednesday, the House Finance Committee reported legislation that provides for historic levels of property tax relief for homeowners. The legislation fully funds the homestead exclusion allowed by the Pennsylvania Constitution and will result in the Commonwealth providing greater than 50 percent of the funding for public education in the Commonwealth for the first time in over 30 years,” Levdansky said. “I appreciate the work of Representative Mario Scavello and the bipartisan support that we have achieved by working together.”
The lawmakers said any property tax plan must:
- Eliminate the homestead property tax within a reasonable deadline;
- Change the state’s Constitution to allow for 100 percent funding of the homestead and farmstead exemption currently limited to 50 percent;
- Replace those taxes with a stable, 100 percent state-based funding source that has reasonable annual increases built in;
- Fund schools with a combination of gaming money, a broadened sales tax, a Personal Income Tax or a tax on unearned income;
- Address per-student spending in a fair way for the first time as part of property tax legislation.
“We want to deliver substantive, comprehensive reform to homeowners and do it right the first time, unlike the spasmodic, ultimately ineffective failures of the past 12 years,” DeWeese said.
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CONTACT: Tom Andrews 717-783-3797 |