Property Tax Reform (York, Pottstown, Upper St. Clair: sales, houses, school districts)

[squarian]

Roundup of the latest this week:

The Pottstown Mercury has run two letters supporting HB 1776 here and here.

Meanwhile Phillyburbs.com (Courier/Intelligencer/Burlington County Times) has coverage of opposition to the same bill from two Bucks Co state legislators.

HB 1776 would eliminate school district prop taxes (except for bond payment) by shifting public education financing to state revenues, expanding sales tax by increasing the rate slightly and closing some of the loopholes, and distributing funds on a per-student basis.

Rep Seth Grove (R-Dover) is plugging his own bill, HB 2230, in an op-ed for the York Dispatch. HB 2230 is generally similar to HB 1776, except that it leaves the choice of shifting from prop to sales taxes up to each county rather than implementing it state-wide.

HB 2137, which imposes a state-wide moratorium on property reassessments pending an overhaul of PA's property tax system, has passed the House and is awaiting action in the Senate, which reconvenes Apr. 30.

For earlier news, see this thread.

[Hopes]

Thanks for sharing. I don't like the idea of switching to sales tax. That's a sure fire way for all schools to decline.

[squarian]

And one more: some commentary on Chris Briem's blog post on reassessment and Michael Nutter's ideas, on the Keystone Politics site.

Background on Nutter's proposals for Philly can be found here and here.

[eschaton]

I'm dead set against replacing a property tax with a sales tax. The only way it would be halfway fair is if some surcharge on businesses was added as well, because it will be too easy for large corporations to avoid sales tax, whereas they cannot avoid property tax (the whole reason that property tax first became predominant is it's almost impossible to circumvent).

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Thanks for sharing. I don't like the idea of switching to sales tax. That's a sure fire way for all schools to decline.

This, for sure, although I wholeheartedly support their ends. I personally like the idea of pooling/equally distributing basline funds based on a set millage rate. If municipalities want to raise the millage rate on top of the mandatory minimum and and use the additional money on their schools, that's their prerogative. Not all school districts can be on par with North Allegheny or Upper St. Clair, but at the very least we can help ameliorate absolute disgraces like Clairton and Wilkinsburg.

[squarian]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

disgraces like Clairton and Wilkinsburg.

Or Duquesne, as the PG reminds us today.

[squarian]

An overview and comparison of the two bills currently before the Gen Ass (HB 1776 and 2230) with other background info, from the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal.

[squarian]

Pennsylvania is "a backward place where government sells every bottle of liquor, the quality of schools has a lot to do with how pretty the houses are and property assessment (or the lack of it) is left to the locals", and where "the distinguishing feature of its General Assembly is going to prison", according to this morning's PG editorial endorsing the finding of the House Task Force on property tax reform in favor of regular, statewide reassessments.

[BrianTH]

Neither approach would be ideal--in my view an ideal approach would likely require a constitutional convention--but either would create a framework that could be used for further reform.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by squarian

Pennsylvania is "a backward place where government sells every bottle of liquor, the quality of schools has a lot to do with how pretty the houses are and property assessment (or the lack of it) is left to the locals", and where "the distinguishing feature of its General Assembly is going to prison", according to this morning's PG editorial endorsing the finding of the House Task Force on property tax reform in favor of regular, statewide reassessments.

The way we fund our public schools, however problematic, is hardly unique. Just look at neighboring "backward" New Jersey and New York State.