Mar. 16, 2015
HARRSIBURG – In an effort to provide comprehensive information to area taxpayers on the effects of the tax increases being put forward by Gov. Tom Wolf, the House Appropriations Committee has constructed a website that contains a financial breakdown of how income and sales tax plans match up with a planned property tax shift proposal.
The site is at
www.TaxpayersThatPay.com, according to Rep. Garth Everett (R-Lycoming/Union), a member of the committee.
“In order for residents to get a complete picture of just what the new tax hike plans will mean, this site will enable them to view that effect on a school district wide basis,” said Everett. “The fact is, this plan does not add up. There has been a pitch made that property tax relief will become available if sales, income and other taxes are raised accordingly. There has to be an explanation by the administration on where this miracle money is coming from in an honest and open manner.”
Everett said there are inherent flaws in the plan which claims to give out $3.6 billion in property tax and rent relief with tax hikes totaling over $8 billion. There is something fundamentally wrong here, Everett noted.
The overall budget proposal, as laid out by the governor, seeks to spend $33.8 billion. This represents a 16 percent increase in spending. The tax hikes being talked about include sales tax increase hike from 6 percent to 6.6 percent, combined with a 21 percent raise in the Personal Income Tax.
These taxes will place an additional $8 billion levy on the backs of Pennsylvania taxpayers.
“Reducing property taxes sounds great, but when you balance the property tax reductions folks in the 84th House District will see with how much more they will pay in increased income and sales taxes, we are looking at a $5.86 million increase in taxes for the residents living in the five school districts wholly located in the 84th Legislative District, and even more when you take into account all the school districts in Lycoming County and the portion of Union County that I represent,” said Everett.
“That just does not sound like a good deal for the working people and small business owners I represent. The formula the Wolf administration has chosen to send out dollars to school districts for both for tax relief and education funding are very arbitrary and do not use any formula that we have previously used to allocate funding. I do not want to say that the allocations are politically motivated, but when I look at who the winners and losers are, it makes me suspicious,” added Everett.
Everett is encouraging all area residents to visit his website at
www.RepEverett.com to get a comprehensive look at how individual school districts will be impacted under the Wolf tax increase plan.
Representative Garth D. Everett
84th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Raymond Smith
717.705.1834
rsmith@pahousegop.com
RepEverett.com /
Facebook.com/RepEverett