Panel discusses ballot referendum on property tax reform question
RADNOR» Many voters may casting their ballots Tuesday may be puzzled by a ballot question asking whether the state constitution should be amended to permit the state Legislature to enact legislation authorizing local taxing authorities to exclude from taxation up to 100 percent of the assessed value of each homestead property. ... Say what?
Hoping to explain the ramifications of the property tax reform ballot question, the Radnor League of Woman Voters held a panel discussion recently at Radnor Studio 21, with members of three school boards: Joel Sears, of the York Region School Board and Liberty Alliance; Larry Fein- berg, with the Haverford Township School Board and the Keystone State Education Coalition; and Susan Spicka, with the Shippensburg Area School Board and the League of Education Voters.
While no changes would take place until the Legislature passes enabling legislation, the ballot questions would permit a shift in how the public schools are funded, from real estate taxes to sales or income taxes or other taxes. The Radnor Township School Board, Tredyffrin Easttown School Board and several others have come out against this change and asked voters to vote no.
Spicka said the lawmakers can’t just “create money” to replace the property taxes, so part of the process will be to identify other sources of money, re- sulting in a tax shift.
“Since it’s a tax shift, we don’t know who the winners and the losers would be,” said Spicka.
Sears said the ballot question affects counties and municipalities as well as school districts.
Feinberg said that residents can already register their house for a homestead exclusion, which slightly reduces the amount of property taxes they pay.
“In Haverford, it’s $200 or $300 per property,” he said. “As with all ballot questions, I think they take it and pass it through a focus group to make sure it’s as incomprehensible as possible … My gut feeling is it will pass because it has something to do with property tax relief and people like that,” said Feinberg. “It’s like voting for motherhood and apple pie.”