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Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Lawyers oppose property tax relief

Who could possibly be against the elimination of property taxes in Pennsylvania? The answer is lawyers.

I didn't think anyone, with the exception of Gov. Ed Rendell and members of the Democratic Caucus in the state Legislature, stood in the way of property tax reform in Pennsylvania.

Apparently, the state's lawyers are now the biggest stumbling block.

The Pennsylvania Bar Association is asking members to lobby lawmakers to derail efforts to eliminate property taxes, something politicians have been promising for 30 years.

House Bill 1275, also known as the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007, would do just what the title says, relieve homeowners of the burden of paying school taxes.

The lawyers don't want the bill to pass because under HB 1275, sponsored by Rep. Sam Rohrer (R-Berks), the 6% state sales tax would be expanded to include legal services (and other professional services).

Below is a copy of the "Legislative Alert" the lawyers sent out.
LEGISLATIVE ALERT!!

PA HOUSE SET TO CONSIDER

SALES TAX EXPANSION

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives may vote on the issue of property tax reform as early as Wednesday, January 16. The bill they will consider is House Bill 1600, sponsored by Representative David Levdansky (D-Allegheny). This legislation is intended to reduce school property taxes substantially without broadening the sales tax base. However, Representative Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) will offer an amendment to the bill which will expand the sales tax to professional services, including legal services. & nbsp;(Representative Rohrer's original piece of property tax reform legislation is HB 1275.)

Even if you have already done so, it is important for you to contact your state representative again and urge him/her to oppose the Rohrer amendment to House Bill 1600.

We have made it easy for you to do this - go to the PBA's Legislative Action Center. Under the heading Compose a Message to Your Legislator Opposing a Broad Sales Tax on Professional Legal Services you will find links to (1) "Write Your Legislators" and (2) "Check Out Talking Points on the Issue." Click on "Write Your Legislators," fill in your contact information, and the Legislative Action Center will guide you through an easy step-by-step process to edit and sen d an e-mail message or download a letter for mailing.

For more information about your representative(s) and/or to read the text of House Bills 1600 and 1275, please visit the Pennnsylvania General Assembly's Web site www.legis.state.pa.us.

Contact your state representative immediately and ask that he/she oppose the Rohrer amendment to HB 1600. Please personalize your letter by indicating why this issue is important to you as a constituent and to other constituents/your clients. Use the talking points provided to help frame your argument.

Contact your Representative NOW!!
Does the fact that the governor and many of the members of the Legislature are also lawyers mean property tax relief is dead? That's depends on the people of Pennsylvania.

Are you going to allow lawyers and career politicians to stand in the way of eliminating property taxes? House Bill 1275 has been co-sponsored by 44 members of the House and is endorsed by the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations, representing taxpayers in 24 counties.

Find out more about House Bill 1275 at the Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition, http://www.ptcc.us/

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