Posted: | January 9, 2015 11:52 AM |
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From: | Representative P. Michael Sturla |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Property Tax Relief and Local Government Support |
In the near future I will be re-introducing House Bills 70. This legislation will provide substantial school property tax relief and give our counties and municipalities an additional revenue tool to improve core services that are beneficial to our communities. The legislation allows the board of commissioners or home rule equivalent to decide what is in the best interest of their community. The option for counties, municipalities, and school districts to rely less on the property tax levy must be made available to them as they strive to control costs and keep the tax burden low on their residents. Another appealing aspect of the legislation is that all of the money generated in the county – stays in the county – and is used for substantial property tax reductions and for improved local services. The sales tax is the preferred method of property tax reduction and is widely supported by the public. Municipalities throughout the Commonwealth are teetering on bankruptcy, school districts are struggling to educate our children in the face of drastic cuts, and many families are feeling the pinch of ever-increasing property taxes, so it is imperative that we give local governments the tools to reduce taxes and improve public services. The proposed Optional Sales Tax for School Property Tax Relief and County and Municipal Assistance Act will provide counties the option of levying a 1% sales tax, but distributes the revenue as follows:
The following members co-sponsored HB 70 in the 2013-14 Session: YOUNGBLOOD , HAGGERTY, SCHLOSSBERG, MUNDY , CARROLL , COHEN , MULLERY, MAHONEY, CALTAGIRONE , THOMAS and SIMS |
Introduced as HB708