Thursday, November 9, 2017

Did Schuylkill County Support Property Tax Elimination?

On election day, Pennsylvania voters were asked to consider a proposed constitutional amendment to permit the General Assembly to enact legislation to expand the homestead exclusion. 

Currently, the state Constitution only allows up to 50 percent of the median assessed value of homestead property within the taxing district.  If the amendment, known as the Homestead Exclusion Amendment, was approved, the General Assembly will have the ability to pass legislation expanding the exemption up to 100 percent.

The overall difference in votes for Pennsylvania was within 150,000 votes

YES - 53.94% - 954,625 Votes
NO  - 46.06% - 815,052 Votes

For Schuylkill County, the margin was much larger

YES - 69.4% - 18,113
NO - 30.6%  - 7,987

The State Senate has already introduced Senate Bill 76, the Property Tax Independence Act, that would replace the revenue generated by the property tax for public schools with an increase to the Personal Income Tax rate from 3.07 percent to 4.95 percent and an increase in the Sales and Use Tax from 6 to 7 percent. The tax would also be expanded to cover more goods and services that are currently exempt.