Don't spend that $32 all in one place

Pennsylvania has posted a breakdown by school district of how much property tax savings qualified homeowners can expect to see this year under Gov. Ed Rendell's idea of "tax relief."

The Pennsylvania Department of Education says there is $613 million available from slot parlors for school property tax relief, which is not exactly the $1 billion minimum Gov. Rendell promised when he signed the slots bill into law in 2004.

"For many homeowners the amount of the relief is about the same as last year and varies between $32 and $641, depending on your school district," notes the Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition. "Don't get too excited about your huge and historic (Gov. Rendell's words) 'relief' money and don't plan to spend all of it in one place!"

Like many of Rendell's promises since he came into office in 2003, property tax relief remains elusive.

As state Rep. Sam Rohrer, R-Berks, noted when he announced the re-introduction of House Bill 1275 earlier this week:

"When we first introduced the idea of school property tax elimination, our proposal ran parallel with Gov, Rendell's proposal to use gambling proceeds to relieve — never solve — the property tax burden. Here we are, seven years later, and homeowners have received just one payment, and a pittance at that, to help with their taxes. Had we enacted the School Property Tax Elimination Act back then, we would have already passed through the four-year phase out. Homeowners would not only be free from paying any school property taxes, but the state would have had the time to build up the excess revenue in order to weather this current economic storm."

The PTCC, which is a coalition of more than two dozen tax groups across the state, is backing House Bill 1275, The Property Tax Elimination Act, re-introduced by Rep. Rohrer. HB 1275 would phase out all school property taxes over a four-year period.

The PTCC has launched a petition drive urging lawmakers to co-sponsor Rohrer's bill. You can sign the petition online or download copies to gather signatures at the group's Web site, http://ptcc.us