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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 1, 2022 03:16 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Elizabeth Fiedler |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Uniformity Clause Repeal |
| Taxes in Pennsylvania are too high for most working and poor people, and unfairly low for the very richest in the Commonwealth. A major reason that Pennsylvania has the seventh most unfair tax system in the nation is the Uniformity Clause in the state Constitution which prohibits our Commonwealth from adopting a more progressive personal income tax. One reason our tax laws are more regressive than progressive is our flat income tax rate. For example, the typical low-income family sees about 12% of their household income going to state and local taxes, while a middle-income family pays about 10%. Meanwhile, households with annual incomes over $400,000 pay only about 4%. One solution to this inequity would be to implement a tiered personal income tax system, in which the richest Pennsylvanians are taxed at a higher rate than working and lower-income Pennsylvanians. That is why I am introducing legislation to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to repeal the Uniformity Clause. This legislation will allow us to consider tax policies that would finally provide tax fairness to Pennsylvania families. Please join me in giving our Commonwealth one more tool to make our laws work better for hard-working Pennsylvanians. |
Introduced as HB2016