Perzel Attaches Senior Property Tax Elimination Bill to All Property Tax Relief Measures
Guarantees vote by full House when other property taxrelief measures are considered
January 15, 2008 – State Rep. John Perzel (R-Philadelphia) today sent an e-mail to all members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives advising them that he has attached his “Senior Property Tax Elimination” bill as an amendment to all property tax legislation currently under consideration in the Legislature.
Perzel asked legislators in his e-mail “to set aside our partisan differences and support legislation that will eliminate school property taxes for senior citizens in Pennsylvania who make less than $40,000 a year.”
By attaching his legislation as an amendment to all property tax relief legislation, Perzel has guaranteed that his “Senior Property Tax Elimination” legislation will be voted on if and when other tax relief measures are voted on by the House of Representatives.
Perzel’s e-mail read in part:
“Our job has always been to do the best we can to help people in need. For years, we tried without much success to help senior citizens on fixed incomes deal with the burden of high property taxes.
“In the recent flurry to reduce everyone’s property taxes, we put the needs of some 600,000 Pennsylvania senior citizens, who can least afford to pay their property taxes, somewhere on the back burner.
“We need to keep a long-overdue promise to our senior citizens. We need to eliminate their school property tax burden.
“Helping seniors in need should not be a Democrat or Republican issue. It should be about protecting seniors from having to choose between putting food on the table, buying much-needed prescription drugs, or paying their school property taxes so they don’t lose their homes.
“The Older Pennsylvania Property Tax Elimination Act goes beyond delivering property tax relief. It delivers property tax elimination to those senior citizens who need it the most, and that’s why I have attached this critically important piece of legislation as an amendment to ALL property tax measures that will be considered in the coming days.
“Under this plan, home owners 65 and older with incomes up to $40,000 would pay no school property tax. Within 30 days of receiving their school property tax bill, eligible seniors would send their tax bill to the state Department of Revenue, which would then send a check to the local school district for the amount of school tax owed.
“Estimated to cost approximately $1 billion dollars a year, we can fund it from gaming revenue which is estimated to be approximately $1.1 billion a year.
“Across the board property tax relief for all Pennsylvania homeowners is a noble, but an unfortunately unrealistic goal. With our present financial state, we cannot provide every homeowner with substantial property tax reduction. It’s that simple.
“We can, however, realistically take care of our senior homeowners. They are the ones who need it the most and the Older Pennsylvania Property Tax Elimination Act provides them with the tax relief they so desperately need.
“Let’s put seniors back on the priority list and help those who can least afford to pay what seems to be ever-increasing property taxes. Please support the Older Pennsylvania Property Tax Elimination Act.”
Rep. John Perzel
172nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
(215) 331-2600
(717) 787-2016
http://www.johnperzel.com/
Contact: Marty O’Rourke
(215) 882-2658
David J. Foster
(215) 514-3054
http://www.pahousegop.com/
