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Senate Approves Bipartisan Property Tax Reform Plan
Measure Would
Provide Additional Relief for Seniors
HARRISBURG --
The State
Senate this week approved a bipartisan property tax reform measure that will
lower school property taxes for all Pennsylvanians and provide additional relief
to senior citizens on fixed incomes.
The
legislation, know as the Pennsylvania Taxpayer Relief Act, will give school
districts the option to increase their Earned Income Tax (EIT) rate or levy a
Personal Income Tax in exchange for a reduction in their property taxes. School
districts may only levy a Personal Income Tax after state regulations governing
local collections have been approved.
The size of
the popular Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program is more than doubled -- with
payments increasing by $200 million and more than 422,000 senior citizens being
added to the program.
The plan would
bolster the Commonwealth's existing Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program to
provide relief to more than 761,000 Pennsylvanians who are on the lowest end of
the income scale.
The
Pennsylvania Taxpayer Relief Act has major benefits to taxpayers:
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It increases income
eligibility requirements for the Property Tax Rent Rebate Program from
15,000 to $35,000 -- enabling more than 761,000 seniors to take advantage of
the program.
By determining
a school district's mix of local taxes at the ballot box rather than in
Harrisburg, the Taxpayer Relief Act empowers taxpayers to make informed,
involved decisions about how their school districts raise revenues. The measure
would give local taxpayers and officials the flexibility to reduce the reliance
on property taxes in favor of a system based upon ability to pay -- a system
that would benefit retirees and others on fixed incomes.
The following PDF files provide the details of the plan:
Property Tax /
Rent Rebate Program Expansion & Simplification
Property Tax / Rent Rebate Expansion Estimates by
County
 
Jubelirer
Brightbill
Greenleaf
Rhoades
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