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Pennsylvania State Senate
12/27/2024 06:13 AM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?SPick=20250&chamber=S&cosponId=43310
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2025 - 2026 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: December 1, 2024 12:56 PM
From: Senator Chris Gebhard and Sen. Doug Mastriano
To: All Senate members
Subject: Constitutional Amendment to Eliminate School Property Taxes
 
We will soon reintroduce a constitutional amendment to end the imposition of school property taxes in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Passage of this amendment will compel the General Assembly to enact a more equitable alternative to fund public education.
 
A February 2023 Commonwealth Court decision called our school funding method unconstitutional for its inequitable distribution of funds and called for a new system.  We must give every child the opportunity to receive a thorough and efficient education.  The current school property tax system is broken.  “It is now the obligation of the Legislature, executive branch, and educators to make the constitutional promise a reality”, said the Court.  Since that decision there has been no action on the matter.

For decades, the people of Pennsylvania have spoken forcefully on the need to eliminate this unfair tax at town halls, meetings and the voting booth.

Pennsylvanians are tired of hearing about relief measures, like school property tax referendums and casino gaming revenues, to ease this burden.  These promises have fallen drastically short of expectations and have done little to help Pennsylvania homeowners.  This tax has caused great anxiety among our senior citizens living on fixed incomes.  No tax should have the power to leave you homeless and only total elimination will ensure Pennsylvanians are secure in their homes.

This constitutional amendment would also guarantee that our local school districts receive a similar form of revenue as they did from the property tax, so education funding would be more equitable for taxpayers while ensuring school needs are met.

Please join us as a cosponsor to allow the people of Pennsylvania to decide the future of school property taxes.