Posted on 02/21/2005 5:10:19 AM PST by Tribune7
School boards in Delaware County and across Pennsylvania are wrestling with whether to "opt in" to Act 72, the state's Homeowner Tax Relief Act.
They have until May 30 to decide if they'll participate in the measure that provides school property tax relief to qualified homeowners in districts that choose to take part in Act 72. Once a decision is made by the deadline, a school district cannot change its mind and the public cannot overturn the board's decision.
On the surface, it looks like a "no brainer." Property owners have told their school directors that they want to see their school property taxes reduced. Particularly vocal are people on fixed incomes or those who have no children in public schools. Although Act 72 is complicated, a closer look shows there are downsides that could impact the pocketbooks of property owners in another way.
This was explained to Rose Tree Media School Board members at a special meeting in the district's Education Center, Jan. 18 . . .
At the meeting, David Sallack, managing director of Public Financial Management Inc. in Harrisburg, presented information . . . He focused on its impact on Rose Tree Media District taxpayers, the district's budget and its financial operation and educational programming if the board decides to participate in Act 72.
Act 72 was signed into legislation by Gov. Ed Rendell on July 5, 2004 and went into effect on Sept. 3, 2004. Under the measure, property tax reduction would be accomplished through a combination of locally raised taxes and gaming revenue allocated by the state, using a specific formula.
Reports indicate that the Rendell administration anticipates $1 billion in gaming revenue. Act 72 hinges on the success of slot machines in 14 locations across the Commonwealth, including Chester Downs and Marina. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at zwire.com ...
ping
The real heartwarming part of this story is that our state reps can invest in the casinos.
jackpot ping
Make no mistake about it. The underlying objection school boards have to Act 72 isn't the loss of revenue(that can be made up in several ways). Boards do not want the taxpayer/voter to have back-end referendum over the budget which is part of Act 72. They will never admit this in public but, having served on school board for 12 years, I know it to be a fact.
The fact that Fast Eddy signed it immediately makes it suspect...
Good point.
True.
Bump.
Yes, another con job. I'm still trying to figure out why PA state government is trying so hard to identify every homestead. This is the third attempt to give us back tax dollars with the qualification that we must register which property we live on. There was the $100 property tax refund a couple of years ago (under Ridge), then a second attempt to get those who didn't register the first time, now this. $100 isn't enough to get me to register my residence with the government! Neither is an offer of a possible tax reduction if AFTER I register my school district decides to participate in the program AND gaming brings in enough $$$ to redistribute.
I don't think any of these are really about reducing property taxes. I think they are about establishing and maintaining a list of where all property owners live. It's easy to get regulations requiring landlords to report their occupants (in the name of fire safety, or some other safety feature); it's much harder to convince those who are self-sufficient individualists to register themselves. They'll need to cough up a lot more money if they expect to get more than a third to volunteer...
You're assuming the goal is to make things simple. Ha! The goal is to make things complicated so they can increase the revenue flow to their pockets. They didn't screw up anything. They are screwing everyone though.
I signed up and sent it in. I hope I did not make a big mistake.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.