Folmer, O'Pake in pissing match over tax reform

Two state senators who represent Berks County are engaging in spat over tax reform in the Letters to the Editor forum of a Berks County newspaper.

It began with Democrat Mike O'Pake announcing a bill that would tax rich Pennsylvanians (those making $100,000 or more) more to provide tax relief for poor Pennsylvanians (I'm guessing that's everyone who makes less then $100,000 a year).

O'Pake's tax relief scheme is more empty rhetoric from a career politician who has collected a paycheck from taxpayers for the past 30 years. O'Pake makes an annual promise to eliminate property taxes, but has failed to keep his promises for 30 consecutive years.

Enter Mike Folmer, the maverick Republican who unseated David "Chip" Brightbill in 2006. Folmer, who has turned down a state pension and the Dec. 1 pay raise the Legislature gave itself, is leading the fight for property tax reform in the Senate.

Folmer wrote the following letter to the Reading Eagle in response to a story about O'Pake's latest tax relief scheme and a subsequent editorial by the newspaper endorsing the plan.

O'Pake's numbers do not add up

Editor:

In response to the Nov. 20 editorial urging me to support Sen. Michael A. O'Pake's tax-elimination plan ("O'Pake's tax plan makes perfect sense"), I share the goal but not the means.

I'm concerned that the numbers in O'Pake's plan don’t add up. His plan would collect $4.3 billion in taxes, combined with $1 billion in slots revenue, but $10 billion is needed to eliminate school property taxes, leaving his plan $4.7 billion short.

I also oppose graduated income taxation. The uniformity clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which forbids incomes from being taxed unequally, has been a bedrock principle of our commonwealth. Changing this would be a mistake.

O'Pake's plan would create seven income brackets. If that isn't alarming, consider that the IRS code, with its many tax brackets, is five times longer than the Bible.

I see nothing in O'Pake's plan geared toward controlling school districts' runaway spending. Without spending controls, any plan to eliminate property taxes is nothing more than painful tax shifting.

I cannot support O'Pake's plan. We should strive to eliminate property taxes with tight controls on spending while keeping uniform taxation.

Sen. Mike Folmer
Lebanon

That prompted O'Pake to write a letter saying Folmer is too dumb to understand what O'Pake is trying to do.

Senator doesn't understand bill

Editor:

It's unfortunate that Sen. Mike Folmer's letter to the editor reveals a lack of understanding of my proposal to eliminate the school-property tax from homeowners ("O'Pake's numbers do not add up," Reading Eagle, Nov. 30).

If he had read my legislation, he would know that my proposal eliminates the school-property tax only for homeowners. His problem with shifting to a tax based on the ability to pay must mean he supports the present, unfair outdated and burdensome tax, which is forcing many people out of their homes.

On one point we do agree: spending must be controlled. As co-sponsors of Senate Bill 1140, we support controlling school costs by creating a single, statewide health insurance program for school employees. I also support establishing statewide, standardized school construction plans as another means of controlling costs.

It is a distortion of the facts to say that the numbers in my plan do not add up. He would be more productive if he could convince his Senate Republican leadership, which controls the fate of all bills in the Senate, to act now on any legislation to eliminate the homeowners’ school-property tax.

Sen. Michael A. O'Pake
11th District

Several Berks County residents have weighed in on the property tax debate. Most are siding with Folmer. All want property taxes eliminated. Immediately.

The only bill currently in the Legislature that would accomplish that task is House Bill 1275, the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007. This bill is endorsed by the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayers Associations.

Only 44 members of the House have signed on so far as co-sponsors of HB 1275. See if your legislator supports the bill by checking this list I previously posted.