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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | October 6, 2021 02:08 PM |
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| From: | Representative Nick Pisciottano |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Tax Relief for Volunteer Firefighters Program |
| Across Pennsylvania, the number of volunteer firefighters is in decline. From more than 300,000 volunteer firefighters in the 1970s, the current number of volunteer firefighters in Pennsylvania has dropped to as few as 38,000. Nearly every community we represent relies on volunteer firefighters to provide fire protection and rescue to our residents, their homes, and businesses. They do this without getting paid and, in many cases, by spending their own money on gear and equipment. To recognize firefighters’ service to the community, my proposed legislation creates a program that provides local property tax relief to volunteer firefighters. While past action by the General Assembly granted localities the ability to forgive local property taxes for firefighters, that forgiveness was not reimbursed by the state and therefore was not implemented in fiscally-challenged municipalities. My proposal would allow property tax forgiveness for firefighters without impacting local municipal budgets by offering tax credits to businesses that donate to designated firefighting organizations in a method similar to the current Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. The EITC program incentivizes local businesses to donate to nonprofit firefighting organizations that would, in turn, use these funds to make direct property tax payments to school districts, counties, or municipalities on behalf of volunteer firefighters. As our state faces a critical shortage of firefighters, this program would provide financial relief for those in the fire service without harming local municipalities. It will allow local business to directly support the fire companies that protect their neighborhood and it will create a sustainable program that recognizes and rewards the efforts of firefighters across Pennsylvania. Please join me in supporting the brave men and women across Pennsylvania who willingly volunteer to run towards the fire to protect us all. |
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Introduced as HB1990