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Letter to the Editor |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Nicole Reigelman |
State Rep. John
Siptroth |
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Letter to the Editor
Attn: David Huse, Editor
Pike County Courier
Dear Mr. Huse:
I would like to correct the record pertaining to a news release I distributed on Feb. 13 regarding the great potential for significant property tax relief in the near future.
A member of the Delaware Valley School Board asserted that my information was incomplete because I didn’t mention a possible increase in the Personal Income Tax, which will be on May’s primary ballot.
A possible PIT increase will be on the ballot for local voters to decide in accordance with Act 1, but that has no bearing on the figures I highlighted. If voters decide in May to increase the local PIT, that would only add to property tax relief in our area.
The figures I referenced were the governor’s estimates based solely upon returns from the projected gaming revenue and the proposed tax shift in the sales tax increase from 6 to 7 percent across the state, other than Philadelphia and Allegheny County.
The feedback I have received regarding the sales tax increase, and the response in the region in general, has been largely positive, mainly because local homeowners are so overwhelmed by skyrocketing property taxes.
I found the governor’s projected property tax relief numbers to be so promising because the estimates for Monroe and Pike counties were higher than the estimates across the state. While the statewide median refund would be $299, our area would do better -- in fact, Pleasant Valley School District has the highest projected amount of the 501 school districts in the state.
I encourage residents to contact me if they have questions regarding the tax relief projections for the coming years.
Sincerely,
John Siptroth
State Representative, 189th Legislative District
4 A Jay Park, Dartmouth Dr. Marshalls Creek, PA 18335
Toll free 1-866-604-5578
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