Local Income Tax - what on earth? (Reading, Harrisburg: public school, community college)

[jeanboy]

Hi everyone,

I have 3.5 years living in PA (Harrisburg) and still I don't know about all the taxes that I am supposed to pay .

Today I learned about a new one ...3.5 years later ok... tax return form 531 for "Local Earned Income". The form is submitted by the Capital Tax Collection Bureau - www.captax.com.

Does this tax apply to any township/borough resident who collected earned income regardless? It says it was due on April 2008... great .

Thanks.

[PeterRabbit]

Local income taxes are usually due quarterly. When you start to pay don't draw attention to yourself by commenting you didn't know about it. You'd draw attention to yourself and they'd want arrearages.

[go phillies]

local income taxes are taken out of your paycheck. there's usually nothing that has to be done on your part other than filing a local tax return at tax time.

[Dawne]

Unless you're self employed, and then you have to pay them yourself quarterly.

[PeterRabbit]

In W.Pa. local taxes are not taken out of your pay. You have to file on your own.

[pp64]

That local tax sucks!!! 1% if your gross income - no deductions! This on top of that twice yearly head tax thing, school taxes, state tax - and I still pay for my garbage pcik up and I have no sidewalks or streetlights and crappy roads in the winter (even on 83)!!! The whole thing sucks!!!!

[nocturnal rooster]

I find it funny that you're complaining about that when ya got that rediculous EMS tax $52. It's probably not even called that any more, lol

[loose cannon]

Originally Posted by nocturnal rooster

I find it funny that you're complaining about that when ya got that rediculous EMS tax $52. It's probably not even called that any more, lol

All taxes are ridiculous but this is downright unconstitutional. And, I'll sadly be stuck here yet when 09 comes around, so I will have to pay it. In the meantime I will be sending letters of disapproval to various politicians about this unjust tax which hurts the working people of PA.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by loose cannon

All taxes are ridiculous but this is downright unconstitutional. And, I'll sadly be stuck here yet when 09 comes around, so I will have to pay it. In the meantime I will be sending letters of disapproval to various politicians about this unjust tax which hurts the working people of PA.

All taxes are ridiculous?

I hope your kids are never kidnapped, or your bank is never robbed, so you won't need to use the FBI.

I hope your community never floods so you won't need FEMA.

I hope you don't drive on highways (Interstate and US highway systems financed by our taxes).

I hope you never went to public school and don't have kids going to public school (financed by taxes).

I hope you never use public transportation (financed by tax dollars).

And I hope you never go to a state school or community college.


I do agree, though, that PA has way too many nuisance taxes.

MD has a good system whereby the State of MD collects the local tax on the annual state return. A local tax is charged, based on a taxpayer's residence, and is remitted to the local authorities. Of course the personal income taxes in MD are usually more than twice those in PA.

[kf70]

Check your pay-stubs to see if you are paying local tax. It should be listed as the local muncipality. If it is deducted, do you work in a municipality other than where you live? The localities may have different rates. Were you required to pay additional tax on this (or previous) year's tax return?

My employer is in Exeter Twp. I was living in the City of Reading. Exeter's local tax is 1% but Reading's is now 2.7%. This was learned the hard way, when two or three years ago Reading raised the rate to 1.5%, the following year it was 1.7% and six months later 2.7% and I owed money at tax time...my employer was not aware of the increase, but since so many employees are city residents they allowed us to have the higher deduction taken. I had to submit a letter to my payroll dept to have the additional tax taken out of my pay each time it changed, and then again to reduce it when we moved to our current residence.

Some employers don't deduct local income tax. You would be responsible for paying on your own, usually quarterly.

Anytime I've had to pay tax due at filing time I've gotten the quarterly payment forms. But since I know it is being properly (to the best of my knowledge anyway) deducted from my earnings I disregard the notice.