CAMP HILL (Cumberland
Co.) Pennsylvania Farm
Bureau is alerting taxpayers
around the state that farmers in
their area are spearheading local
petition signing campaigns
aimed at reducing local property
taxes.
As of Jan. Ist, residents who
have not had a chance to vote on
homestead property tax relief in
their school district can petition
their school board to appoint a
special Tax Study Committee to
look at the option.
Act 50 of 1998 gave school
district two years to take action
on their own about investigating
whether nuisance taxes could be
eliminated and property taxes
lowered through an increase in
the earned income tax. So far,
only five out of Pennsylvania’s
501 school districts have put the
homestead tax reduction ques
tion on local ballots. Property
tax relief was approved in three
districts.
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Farmers Spearheading Local Tax Reform Campaigns
Farm Bureau believes the
property tax is an unfair way to
fund school districts and is
working for local tax reform
throughout the state. Tax bur
dens should be based on a per
son’s ability to pay. Now, for the
first time, taxpayers have the
chance to do something about
high property taxes through
Homestead tax reform.
Under the Homestead legisla
tion, school districts could in
crease their rate of earned
income taxes up to 1.5 percent.
The additional revenue would
be used to eliminate nuisance
taxes such as per capita and oc
cupational taxes, and to lower
property taxes through home
stead and farmstead exclusions:
The amount of tax relief pos
sible will vary from school dis
trict to district. The first step is
to get a Tax Study Committee
appointed by the school board to
look at the possibilities. That’s
where Farm Bureau’s petition
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signing campaign comes in.
To mandate the appointment
of a Tax Study Committee, reg
istered voters equal in number to
at least two percent of the vote
turnout in the last gubernatorial
election in the school district
must sign the petition. Once in
place, the Tax Study Committee
must examine the numbers to
see if enough extra tax receipts
could be raised through in
creases in local earned income
taxes to enable local nuisance
taxes to be eliminated and prop
erty taxes to be reduced. If the
Tax Study Committee finds out
that Homestead Tax Reform
would work and recommends its
adoption, the school board must
put it before the voters in a refer
endum. If they refuse, another
petition signed by five percent of
voters can force the issue on the
ballot.
Since Act 50 limits the alter
natives for tax reform to adjust
ments in the earned income tax,
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the amount of tax relief possible
will vary from school district to
school district. If a local Tax
Study Committee finds that the
Homestead Property Tax relief
law would not be effective in
bringing about meaningful
USD A Reviewing Tossed Out
Ballots In Pork Referendum
ARLINGTON, Va. USDA
officials are reviewing more
than 2,000 invalidated ballots in
the pork industry checkoff refer
endum to determine whether to
continue the program. The de
partment said it will annouhce
the result of the vote by the first
week in January.
According to the American
Meat Institute, last October, bal-
property tax reductions, their
state legislators need to hear
about it. That way lawmakers
can be informed of the need to
enact further local tax reform
measures in the General Assem
bly.
lots were cast on whether to
retain the current mandatory
checkoff on all market hogs
sold. Missing information on
registration and certificate
forms were the initial reason for
invalidating the ballots.
Local Farm Service Agency
offices will review the ballots
based on new USDA instruc
tions, the department said re
cently.