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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Senator Armstrong: Taxpayers Deserve More Say Over School Property Tax Hikes The first attempt to give Pennsylvania taxpayers referendum power over large property tax increases sought by school districts fell far short of expectations because the exceptions in the law turned out to be too generous, according to Senator Gib Armstrong. So he has prepared legislation to tighten the requirements. The May Primary Election was supposed to be the first serious test of the law, but 210 school districts requested and were granted exemption from the backend referendum requirement. “The principle here is fairly simple – controlling spending is the key to reining in tax increases, and making taxpayers part of the process is the best way to help bring spending under control. Pennsylvanians were promised a role in deciding on property tax increases for schools, and we need to make sure it is a real role. Too many people are convinced they will not see any of the benefits promised under Act 1, and this large loophole on ballot questions tends to confirm their suspicions,” Armstrong said. The Armstrong bill will tighten or remove exceptions school districts relied on most frequently to avoid having to submit property tax increases for voter approval. The proposal would raise the percentage increase needed to qualify for an exception based on special education costs. Several exceptions relating to school construction and maintenance of revenues would be eliminated. “There needs to be a better balance in the law. Voters deserve a chance to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the substantial increases they are seeing in many districts across the state,” he noted. “Over the years, there have been all sorts of property tax reduction or replacement proposals unveiled, with high hopes attached. Few have passed, and those few have not worked. Maybe there will be a plan that gets the necessary consensus this session. But until that happens, we have to concentrate on improving existing law to better reflect taxpayer interests,” Armstrong pointed out. “Many years ago, the threshold for requiring a ballot question on school construction was set so high it proved almost impossible to reach. We must not allow the backend referendum to become a similarly ineffective protection,” he concluded.
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