PRINTER'S NO. 2779
No. 2089 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY HABAY, COY, CRAHALLA, GERGELY, LAUGHLIN, LEWIS, ROBERTS, SCAVELLO, TIGUE AND YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 14, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, OCTOBER 14, 2003
AN ACT 1 Providing for prohibition of levy or collection of tax on 2 homestead property, for the Homestead Property Tax 3 Elimination Fund, for imposition of sales and use tax, for 4 increase in personal income tax and for realty transfer tax. 5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 6 hereby enacts as follows: 7 Section 1. Short title. 8 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Homestead 9 Property Tax Elimination Act. 10 Section 2. Definitions. 11 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall 12 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 13 context clearly indicates otherwise: 14 "Fund." The Homestead Property Tax Elimination Fund 15 established under section 4. 16 "Homestead property." The owner-occupied, primary residences 17 and the parcel of land within this Commonwealth on which the 18 residence is located and other improvements located on the
1 parcel. If a portion of the structure is used for a 2 nonresidential purpose, the homestead is equal to that portion 3 of the property used as the primary residence of the owner- 4 occupant. The term "homestead" shall have no effect, evidentiary 5 or otherwise, concerning the issue of whether property 6 constitutes a homestead or homestead property under any other 7 act. The term "homestead" shall include the owner-occupied 8 primary residence on a farmstead as defined in 53 Pa.C.S. § 8582 9 (relating to definitions) but shall not include any other real 10 property on a farmstead. 11 "Political subdivision." A county, city, borough, 12 incorporated town, township, school district, vocational school 13 district and county institution district. 14 Section 3. Property tax prohibition. 15 Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, 16 no political subdivision may levy or collect a tax on homestead 17 property for any purpose after June 30 of the calendar year 18 immediately following the effective date of this section. 19 Section 4. Homestead Property Tax Elimination Fund. 20 (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established in the 21 Treasury Department a special fund to be known as the Homestead 22 Property Tax Elimination Fund. 23 (b) Custodian.--The State Treasurer shall be the custodian 24 of the fund, which shall be subject to the provisions of law 25 applicable to funds listed in section 302 of the act of April 9, 26 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code. 27 (c) Roles of Department of Revenue and State Treasurer.-- 28 Taxes imposed under sections 5, 6 and 7 shall be received by the 29 Department of Revenue and paid to the State Treasurer and, along 30 with interest and penalties and any refunds and credits paid, 20030H2089B2779 - 2 -
1 shall be credited to the fund no less frequently than quarterly. 2 (d) Interest.--During any period prior to the credit of 3 moneys to the fund, interest earned on moneys received by the 4 Department of Revenue and paid to the State Treasurer under this 5 act shall be deposited into the fund. 6 (e) Money in the fund.--All money in the fund, including, 7 but not limited to, money credited to the fund under this 8 section, prior year encumbrances and interest earned thereon 9 shall not lapse or be transferred to any other fund but shall 10 remain in the fund and used exclusively as provided in this act. 11 (f) Investment of funds.--Pending disbursement, money 12 received on behalf of or deposited into the fund shall be 13 invested or reinvested as are other funds in the custody of the 14 State Treasurer in the manner provided by law. All earnings 15 received from the investment or deposit of such funds shall be 16 credited to the fund. 17 (g) Borrowing of funds.--The State Treasurer shall be 18 authorized to borrow money from the General Fund in the event 19 the money in the fund is insufficient to make the distribution 20 required under section 8. Such borrowing shall be repaid with 21 interest to the General Fund at the earliest practicable date. 22 (h) Use of funds.--The Department of Revenue and the State 23 Treasurer may use a portion of the revenues in the fund for 24 costs associated with the administration of this act. 25 Section 5. Sales and use tax. 26 (a) Tangible personal property or services.--In addition to 27 any other tax currently levied by the Commonwealth under Article 28 II of the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax 29 Reform Code of 1971, there shall be imposed upon each separate 30 sale at retail of tangible personal property or services as 20030H2089B2779 - 3 -
1 defined in Article II of the Tax Reform Code of 1971 a tax on 2 the purchase price of 1%. 3 (b) Purchases at retail.--In addition to any other tax 4 currently levied by the Commonwealth under Article II of the Tax 5 Reform Code of 1971, there shall be imposed upon the use of 6 tangible personal property purchased at retail and on services 7 purchased at retail as defined in Article II of the Tax Reform 8 Code of 1971, a tax on the purchase price of 1%. The use tax 9 imposed under this subsection shall not be paid over to the 10 Commonwealth by any person who has paid the tax imposed under 11 subsection (a) or has paid the tax imposed under this subsection 12 to the vendor with respect to the use. 13 (c) Exclusions.--All exclusions enumerated under section 204 14 of the Tax Reform Code of 1971 shall apply to the sales and use 15 tax levied under this act. 16 (d) Deposit of revenue.--The revenue generated through the 17 tax levied pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the 18 fund for purposes of replacing revenues lost by all political 19 subdivisions as a result of the property tax prohibition set 20 forth in section 3. 21 Section 6. Personal income tax. 22 (a) Additional income tax.--In addition to any other tax 23 currently levied by the Commonwealth under Article III of the 24 act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code 25 of 1971, there is hereby levied a tax of 1.55% on each class of 26 income as defined in Article III of the Tax Reform Code of 1971. 27 (b) Poverty provisions.--The special tax provisions for 28 poverty set forth in section 304 of the Tax Reform Code of 1971 29 shall apply to the personal income tax levied pursuant to this 30 section. 20030H2089B2779 - 4 -
1 (c) Deposit of revenue.--The revenue generated through the 2 tax levied under this section shall be deposited into the fund 3 for purposes of replacing the revenues lost by all political 4 subdivisions based on the property tax prohibition set forth in 5 section 3. 6 Section 7. Realty transfer tax. 7 (a) Real estate tax.--In addition to any other tax currently 8 levied by the Commonwealth under Article XI-C of the act of 9 March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 10 1971, every person who makes, executes, delivers, accepts or 11 presents for recording any document or in whose behalf any 12 document is made, executed, delivered, accepted or presented for 13 recording shall be subject to pay for and in respect to the 14 transaction or any part thereof or for or in respect of the 15 vellum parchment or paper upon which such document is written or 16 printed, a State tax at the rate of 2% of the value of the real 17 estate represented by the document, which State tax shall be 18 payable at the earlier of the time the document is presented for 19 recording or within 30 days of acceptance of the document or 20 within 30 days of becoming an acquired company. 21 (b) Article XI-C provisions.--The provisions of Article XI-C 22 of the Tax Reform Code of 1971 shall apply to a tax levied 23 pursuant to this section. 24 (c) Deposit of revenue.--All revenue derived from the 25 collection of the tax levied pursuant to this section shall be 26 deposited into the fund for purposes of replacing revenues lost 27 by all political subdivisions as a result of the property tax 28 prohibition set forth in section 3. 29 Section 8. Disbursements from fund. 30 (a) Certifications by political subdivisions.--No later than 20030H2089B2779 - 5 -
1 June 1 of each year, each political subdivision within this 2 Commonwealth shall certify to the Treasury Department the amount 3 of revenue the political subdivision will lose in the upcoming 4 fiscal year as a result of the property tax prohibition under 5 section 3. 6 (b) Duties of State Treasurer.--No later than July 15 of 7 each year, the Treasury Department shall reimburse each 8 political subdivision for the total amount of revenue lost by 9 the political subdivision based on the property tax prohibition 10 under section 3. The reimbursement shall be paid from the fund. 11 Section 9. Notice. 12 If a constitutional amendment prohibiting a political 13 subdivision from levying a tax on homestead real property is 14 ratified by the electorate, the Secretary of the Commonwealth 15 shall transmit notice of the ratification to the Legislative 16 Reference Bureau for publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. 17 Section 10. Repeals. 18 All acts and parts of acts are repealed insofar as they are 19 inconsistent with this act. 20 Section 11. Effective date. 21 This act shall take effect as follows: 22 (1) The following provisions shall take effect 23 immediately: 24 (i) Section 1. 25 (ii) Section 9. 26 (iii) This section. 27 (2) The remainder of this act shall take effect upon 28 publication of the notice under section 9. H27L72DMS/20030H2089B2779 - 6 -