Pa. Senate Could Vote To End School Property Taxes (But Raise Sales And Income Taxes)
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Pennsylvania State Senate could vote next week on a proposal to end school property taxes. It would be a historic first, the end of all school property taxes in the state. "More than 80 local taxpayer groups came to me about a year ago and essentially said forget trying to tweak the property tax, the only way to reform property tax is to kill it," Berks County Republican David Argall told Eyewitness News.
Argall is sponsoring a bill in the senate that is receiving bipartisan support. It proposes eliminating school property taxes for homeowners and landowners in exchange for raising the state sales tax from 6 to 7 percent and increasing personal income tax from 3.07 to 4.34 percent.
Todd Quinones: "The senate is expected to vote on the bill next week… if it passes it goes to the house where just two years ago a similar bill soundly voted down a similar bill.
Governor Tom wolf opposes the idea, saying it would strip away local control of school district finances and hand it all over to the state. "I don't think the State should have get to 100% and I don't think and I don't think the local share should be zero. I think that people who live in the area know what they need best. They're the ones that can call shots that have to be called," Wolf stated.
But Argall contends the current tax burden on homeowners is archaic and unfair. "How big is your house? How old is it? How big is your lot? Did you remember to fix the roof? That's not an appropriate way to fund the public schools," Argall said.
Property taxes generate around $12 billion a year for public schools. And while ending school property taxes for homeowners would spread the costs out to nearly everyone in the state, critics point out businesses would get huge tax break.
"I think it frees up business taxpayers from having to pay any property taxes towards the schools," Wolf said.
Argall believes he has the votes needed for the bill to clear the senate.
