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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. John Galloway |
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Rep. Galloway working to lower your property taxes
When I took office I promised to fight to eliminate school property taxes. On Jan. 17, the House took a bold step toward that goal by unanimously passing H.B. 1947, which I co-sponsored.
The bill is a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow for the elimination of property taxes on primary homes and farms.
The legislation must be passed by the General Assembly in two consecutive legislative sessions, then approved by voters. That means the earliest this constitutional change could take effect is 2010.
In the meantime, I am co-sponsoring two more bills aimed at reducing your school property taxes now. One bill would increase the state sales tax to cut property taxes by more than $700 million. That’s in addition to the anticipated $1 billion in relief that will come from gaming revenues. There’s also a proposal that would increase both the state Personal Income Tax by 0.22 percent and the sales tax by 0.5 percent to shift the burden of funding schools away from homeowners.
I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues to craft legislation that will solve the property tax problem while protecting the interests of Bucks County residents. Please be sure to sign my on-line petition asking for property tax relief. And as always, I welcome your feedback about what you’d like to see happen with property tax reform.