(The Center Square) – Longtime homeowners in all but two of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties are facing the same problem. That means their property tax bills are rising year after year, often more than they can afford.
Elected officials at the state level forever say they will fix it. And the counties that make up Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are actually doing so through long-term owner-occupier programs.
This provision exempts or defers tax increases for people who have lived in their home for at least 10 years by limiting the assessed value to between 50% and 75% of its previous value. This effectively “fixes” the tax rate for low-income owners and protects them from gentrification.
And on Monday, the House unanimously passed a bill that could expand the program statewide, provided voters agree to amend the Constitution to do so.
If approved, Congress could expand the program in the future and local officials would be able to determine whether it’s “feasible” in their counties. This process was similar to what happened in the cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
“We believe that creating options to address the state’s aging property tax burden is a worthwhile endeavor,” said bill sponsor Rep. Christina Sapy, D-Kennett Square. .
But not everyone who voted for the bill is celebrating. This is because constitutional amendments begin with bicameral approval in two successive parliaments and go through a multi-year process before being submitted to the polls.
After each passage, the Department must meet a 90-day advertising deadline. If this is not possible, the effort will go back to square one. An infamous 2021 amendment that would have given childhood sexual assault survivors the opportunity to sue their abusers is weeks away from voter approval.
There are less than two months left until the end of the session on November 30th to pass this property tax reduction bill. Even if it passed the Senate immediately, there would not be enough time to advertise it.
Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Weissport) criticized the politics of the House Democratic leadership, which controls the voting schedule.
“There would have been support for this if the leadership didn’t block it,” he said on a podcast days before the bill was passed. “But they blocked it because they don’t want to settle property taxes. They like property taxes.”
Heffley sponsored a similar amendment earlier in the session and describes himself as a longtime champion of the effort. He said some homeowners are seeing their property taxes rise 400% year over year, increasing from $1,500 to more than $8,000 a year, forcing many to sell their homes. The amount is said to be.
Heffley said if leadership had scheduled a vote on the bill, it would have had time to reach the ballot box in 2025. As things stand, that could take six years.
“Now they want to do it and act like they’re doing something,” he said.
Democratic lawmakers did not deny time constraints, but instead pointed to opposition to increased funding for public schools approved earlier this year. All but two Republicans voted against it.
“You can’t talk about property tax relief without talking about school funding,” House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Lansdale) said during Monday’s floor debate, which at times took a hostile turn. It became. “And while I don’t question anyone’s motives, it’s no surprise that this majority passed historic school funding, and as part of that, property tax relief is closely related. I would like to point out that.
Pennsylvania’s public school system receives most of its funding from local taxes supported by state and federal aid. Economically strapped districts often raise rates to compensate for increased costs.
Notably, despite both parties’ criticism of the education system, spending continues to increase.
State aid increased from $8.6 billion in 2011 to $15.4 billion in 2024 as school district revenues increased from $25.2 billion to $36.7 billion. Since 2000, student enrollment has declined by approximately 140,000. Earlier this year, a Democratic-written spending formula was also passed that would direct more than $500 million to economically challenged school districts.
The property tax constitutional amendment bill is currently headed for consideration in the Senate, but there are only five voting days left.
