10 November 2007
Dear Friends,
Another hurdle cleared!
The School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 was formally introduced in the House of Representatives on Thursday and is now officially House Bill 1275.
We are now waiting for the bill to be assigned to committee before any further action on our part. We will be watching the bill’s progress closely and I’ll issue Action Items as necessary. Things have the potential to move quickly over the next few weeks, so please be prepared to help.
Below is a list of those Representatives who co-sponsored the introduction of the SPTEA. If your Representative’s name is not on the list, you may want to write or call him or her and ask why they haven’t supported HB 1275 and tell them that you expect them to support the bill in the future. Please be respectful and non-threatening but firm when you do so; we can ramp up the rhetoric later if they remain non-compliant.
You might also want to thank your Representative if his or her name is on the list.
You can find your Representative’s contact information here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm.
Here are the co-sponsors:
Rohrer (R-Berks)
Cox (R-Berks)
Yewcic (D-Cambria/Somerset)
Argall (R-Berks/Schuylkill)
Quigley (R-Montgomery)
Denlinger (R-Lancaster)
Phillips (R-Northumberland/Snyder)
Stern (R-Blair)
Baker (R-Bradford/Tioga)
Barrar (R-Chester/Delaware)
Bastian (R-Bedford/Somerset)
Caltagirone (D-Berks)
Cappelli (R-Lycoming)
Creighton (R-Lancaster)
Everett (R-Lycoming)
Gabig (R-Cumberland)
Gibbons (D-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence)
Gillespie (R-York)
Goodman (D-Schuylkill)
Harris (R-Juniata/Mifflin/Snyder)
Hennessey (R-Chester)
Hershey (R-Chester)
Hess (R-Bedford/Fulton/Huntingdon)
Kauffman (R-Cumberland/Franklin)
Mackereth (R-York)
Mahoney (D-Fayette)
Mantz (R-Berks)
McIlhattan (R-Armstrong/Clarion)
McIlvaine-Smith (D-Chester)
Mensch (R-Montgomery)
Moul (R-Adams/Franklin)
Perry (R-Cumberland/York)
Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna)
Pyle (R-Armstrong/Indiana)
Readshaw (D-Allegheny)
Roae (R-Crawford)
Rock (R-Franklin)
Santoni (D-Berks)
Saylor (R-York)
Schroder (R-Chester)
Steil (R-Bucks)
Swanger (R-Lebanon)
The ongoing help that all of you have given to our work for school property tax elimination and education finance reform is greatly appreciated. Chuck Warner of the PCTA’s Dallastown Group forwarded this quote to me and I think that it is appropriate to our situation:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead
This is so true. Thank you, SPTEA supporters!
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Press Conference Video
The video replay of the entire October 31 press conference where the SPTEA was announced is available on-line. It has a very good explanation of the SPTEA and includes formal comments from four PCTA members who support the plan. If you have 40 minutes to watch it’s absolutely worth the time. http://media1.pahousegop.com/video/asx_generator.asp?videoname=372398721.wmv
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PCN Call-in Program
On Monday, November 19 at 7:00 PM, Representative Sam Rohrer, the prime sponsor of the SPTEA, will be on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) Call-in Program to discuss property taxes. Appearing with him will be Representative David Levdansky, the prime sponsor of HB 1600, the fraudulent property tax “relief” plan that is actually a tax increase in disguise and is strenuously opposed by the PTCC and the PCTA.
This promises to be a very lively show. Please feel free to call the program to voice your support of HB 1275, the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007, and especially to let Representative Levdansky know that Pennsylvania homeowners will no longer tolerate more valueless, recycled approaches like HB 1600. HB 1600 needs to be defeated NOW!
Please mark your calendar and join the discussion.
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Tools to Use
An individual petition for the SPTEA is available for you to send to Representative Rohrer to show your support. Please print as many copies as you wish and give them to everyone you know to help to move the SPTEA forward.
Also available is a set of SPTEA promotional tools that was developed by Mike Fogarty of the PCTA’s Coatesville Group. The SPTEA Promo Pack is a downloadable collection of materials and ideas that you can use to help spread the word and increase support for the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007.
Both the petition and the Promo Pack are available on the PTCC home page at http://www.ptcc.us/.
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PTCC Blog Site
There’s just one more item today. Please visit the PTCC Blog site at http://pataxpayers.blogspot.com/. All of the recent PTCC updates have been posted there and you can add your comments or join a discussion about this issue. We’d sure like to have you participate and hear what you have to say!
That’s all for now. Please keep up the good work that all of you have been doing to support the SPTEA. We’ve seen many indications that we are really starting to make a difference, thanks to your efforts. Thank you all for your continuing help.
Please write if you have comments or concerns. pataxpayers@gmail.com
David Baldinger
PTCC Administrator
The SPTEA is Announced!
31 October 2007
Dear Friends,
Our time has finally come!
On Wednesday, October 31, the authors of the bipartisan School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 (SPTEA) and House members from both parties announced the introduction of this legislation at a Harrisburg press conference. Members of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA), including myself, spoke in support of the SPTEA at the conference. A bill number will be assigned when the legislation is formally introduced.
We’ve been waiting a very long time for this event. Even though the bill is truly bipartisan and was continually revised during good faith negotiations with the Democratic House leadership (who determine the flow of legislation), they nonetheless continued to delay for many months on a commitment to support the SPTEA.
The press release about the SPTEA announcement is here.
Now it is time to spring into action for all of us who support true education finance reform and school property tax elimination.
** ACTION ITEM **
Before a bill is formally introduced in the House, a memorandum is sent to all Representatives asking them to co-sponsor the bill. Your participation is vitally needed for this first step in the legislative process. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Please call or e-mail your Representative within the next day or so and tell him or her that you want them to co-sponsor the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 as announced by Representative Sam Rohrer. Let them know that this is the only property tax legislation that is acceptable to you and that you expect them to do their part in promoting its passage.
Beyond this initial step, further efforts need to be focused on three fronts.
First, we must show unequivocal support for the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007. Please frequently contact your Representative and House leadership of both parties by mail, e-mail, and telephone to voice your support for the SPTEA and to demand its passage.
Second, tell your Representative that you strongly oppose the valueless House Bill 1600 and others like it. These worthless, politically-driven bills simply shift the funding from one pocket to another for temporary phantom “relief”. They add new taxes on top of the old while doing nothing to permanently solve the underlying problems like relentlessly increasing property taxes, lack of effective cost controls, and substandard educational opportunities for children in over 100 distressed Pennsylvania school districts.
HB 1600 is being avidly promoted by certain House members to satisfy their political agendas. This bill is especially insulting to Pennsylvania homeowners because it is no different in substance than the Act 1 referendum that was so universally rejected by the voters in the May 2007 election. Even though the voters forcefully demonstrated their opposition to Act 1 these legislators still think that they can get away with regurgitating this idea, jamming it down our throats and then assuming that we will be stupid enough to fall for their lies and false promises. They must be told in no uncertain terms that they will be held accountable if they impose this smoke-and-mirrors scam on Pennsylvania homeowners. HB 1600 is the biggest threat to true education finance reform currently in the legislature and it MUST BE DEFEATED!
Third, we must inform as many folks as possible about the SPTEA to rally support for this legislation. Please tell everyone you know about the plan, ask them to visit the PTCC website for details and to subscribe to the PTCC e-mail updates. Grassroots efforts like ours can only succeed with the support and efforts of ordinary folks who want to help make a difference.
Now that the SPTEA has been announced these PTCC updates will be become more frequent as we suggest ways that you can help to move this bill through the legislative process. We must hammer our legislators at every turn to keep them moving in the right direction.
We’ll be watching the legislature closely over the next few months and will be keeping a record of who supports the taxpayers through school property tax elimination and who ignores our wishes by pandering to the special interests. This record will be constantly updated and kept available to help taxpayers with their decisions for the 2008 elections.
We all must demand that this legislature stop deceiving taxpayers by placing ineffective Band-Aids like House Bill 1600 on this problem, set aside their business-as-usual partisan politics, forget the special interests, muster the courage and political will to do what is absolutely necessary, and give the people of Pennsylvania what they want and deserve: Enact the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 NOW to totally eliminate school property taxes and fix a broken education finance system for the benefit and future of all taxpayers and children of Pennsylvania.
Links for information on the SPTEA and legislative contacts are below my signature.
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New PCTA Member
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA) is again very pleased to welcome a new member group to the organization. FED UP (What a great name!) from Beaver County recently joined the PCTA; they will be another terrific addition to the PCTA and a huge help in furthering our goals in Western Pennsylvania. Please welcome them - it's great to have them on board!
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Thank you for all of your help and support. Let’s continue to work together to get this job done!
David Baldinger
PTCC Administrator
http://www.ptcc.us
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You can find the name of your Representative by Zip+4 here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm
Details of the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 are here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/solution.htm
Details of HB 1600 from a previous PTCC update are here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/arc082407.htm
House Majority Leader:
Hon. H. William DeWeese
222 Elm DriveSuite 101,
P.O. Box 832
Waynesburg, PA 15370
(724) 627-8683
Fax: (724) 627-6043
wdeweese@pahouse.net
House Majority Whip:
Hon. Keith R. McCall
162 West Ridge Street
Lansford, PA 18232
(570) 645-7585
Fax: (570) 645-9526
kmccall@pahouse.net
House Minority Leader:
Hon. Samuel Smith
423 Main Capitol Building
PO Box 202066
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2066
(717) 787-3845
Fax: (717) 787-6564
ssmith@pahousegop.com
House Minority Whip:
Hon. David Argall
428 Main Capitol Building
PO Box 202124
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2124
(717) 787-9024
Fax: (717) 783-8657
dargall@pahousegop.com
Dear Friends,
Our time has finally come!
On Wednesday, October 31, the authors of the bipartisan School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 (SPTEA) and House members from both parties announced the introduction of this legislation at a Harrisburg press conference. Members of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA), including myself, spoke in support of the SPTEA at the conference. A bill number will be assigned when the legislation is formally introduced.
We’ve been waiting a very long time for this event. Even though the bill is truly bipartisan and was continually revised during good faith negotiations with the Democratic House leadership (who determine the flow of legislation), they nonetheless continued to delay for many months on a commitment to support the SPTEA.
The press release about the SPTEA announcement is here.
Now it is time to spring into action for all of us who support true education finance reform and school property tax elimination.
** ACTION ITEM **
Before a bill is formally introduced in the House, a memorandum is sent to all Representatives asking them to co-sponsor the bill. Your participation is vitally needed for this first step in the legislative process. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Please call or e-mail your Representative within the next day or so and tell him or her that you want them to co-sponsor the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 as announced by Representative Sam Rohrer. Let them know that this is the only property tax legislation that is acceptable to you and that you expect them to do their part in promoting its passage.
Beyond this initial step, further efforts need to be focused on three fronts.
First, we must show unequivocal support for the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007. Please frequently contact your Representative and House leadership of both parties by mail, e-mail, and telephone to voice your support for the SPTEA and to demand its passage.
Second, tell your Representative that you strongly oppose the valueless House Bill 1600 and others like it. These worthless, politically-driven bills simply shift the funding from one pocket to another for temporary phantom “relief”. They add new taxes on top of the old while doing nothing to permanently solve the underlying problems like relentlessly increasing property taxes, lack of effective cost controls, and substandard educational opportunities for children in over 100 distressed Pennsylvania school districts.
HB 1600 is being avidly promoted by certain House members to satisfy their political agendas. This bill is especially insulting to Pennsylvania homeowners because it is no different in substance than the Act 1 referendum that was so universally rejected by the voters in the May 2007 election. Even though the voters forcefully demonstrated their opposition to Act 1 these legislators still think that they can get away with regurgitating this idea, jamming it down our throats and then assuming that we will be stupid enough to fall for their lies and false promises. They must be told in no uncertain terms that they will be held accountable if they impose this smoke-and-mirrors scam on Pennsylvania homeowners. HB 1600 is the biggest threat to true education finance reform currently in the legislature and it MUST BE DEFEATED!
Third, we must inform as many folks as possible about the SPTEA to rally support for this legislation. Please tell everyone you know about the plan, ask them to visit the PTCC website for details and to subscribe to the PTCC e-mail updates. Grassroots efforts like ours can only succeed with the support and efforts of ordinary folks who want to help make a difference.
Now that the SPTEA has been announced these PTCC updates will be become more frequent as we suggest ways that you can help to move this bill through the legislative process. We must hammer our legislators at every turn to keep them moving in the right direction.
We’ll be watching the legislature closely over the next few months and will be keeping a record of who supports the taxpayers through school property tax elimination and who ignores our wishes by pandering to the special interests. This record will be constantly updated and kept available to help taxpayers with their decisions for the 2008 elections.
We all must demand that this legislature stop deceiving taxpayers by placing ineffective Band-Aids like House Bill 1600 on this problem, set aside their business-as-usual partisan politics, forget the special interests, muster the courage and political will to do what is absolutely necessary, and give the people of Pennsylvania what they want and deserve: Enact the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 NOW to totally eliminate school property taxes and fix a broken education finance system for the benefit and future of all taxpayers and children of Pennsylvania.
Links for information on the SPTEA and legislative contacts are below my signature.
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New PCTA Member
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA) is again very pleased to welcome a new member group to the organization. FED UP (What a great name!) from Beaver County recently joined the PCTA; they will be another terrific addition to the PCTA and a huge help in furthering our goals in Western Pennsylvania. Please welcome them - it's great to have them on board!
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Thank you for all of your help and support. Let’s continue to work together to get this job done!
David Baldinger
PTCC Administrator
http://www.ptcc.us
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You can find the name of your Representative by Zip+4 here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm
Details of the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 are here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/solution.htm
Details of HB 1600 from a previous PTCC update are here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/arc082407.htm
House Majority Leader:
Hon. H. William DeWeese
222 Elm DriveSuite 101,
P.O. Box 832
Waynesburg, PA 15370
(724) 627-8683
Fax: (724) 627-6043
wdeweese@pahouse.net
House Majority Whip:
Hon. Keith R. McCall
162 West Ridge Street
Lansford, PA 18232
(570) 645-7585
Fax: (570) 645-9526
kmccall@pahouse.net
House Minority Leader:
Hon. Samuel Smith
423 Main Capitol Building
PO Box 202066
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2066
(717) 787-3845
Fax: (717) 787-6564
ssmith@pahousegop.com
House Minority Whip:
Hon. David Argall
428 Main Capitol Building
PO Box 202124
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2124
(717) 787-9024
Fax: (717) 783-8657
dargall@pahousegop.com
Defeat House Bill 1600 NOW!
18 September 2007
Dear Friends,
The seven House Finance Committee dog-and-pony-show hearings on House Bill 1600 are finally completed and pretty much worked against the sponsors of this useless legislation. The lawmakers who are promoting this measure received mostly negative comments from both taxpayers and those who testified at the hearings, with many of the hearings turning raucous because of loud taxpayer discontent with this old, tired, valueless “solution” to the property tax crisis. On September 6 a Reading Eagle editorial hammered the Committee because they turned deaf ears to the taxpayers’ wishes: http://internetservices.readingeagle.com/blog/editorials/archives/2007/09/voices_of_the_v.html
If you’re unfamiliar with HB 1600, it’s another temporary property tax “relief” scheme similar to the Act 1 referendum that will permanently raise the state sales and income taxes to finance a small homestead rebate (average $414) that will quickly be eaten away by continually rising property taxes. Further, it does absolutely nothing to address the underlying problems with education finance; it is simply another fraud being perpetrated on Pennsylvania homeowners. More details about HB 1600 are available in the August 24 PTCC update available here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/arc082407.htm
In a related matter, the Associated Press reported over the weekend that property tax reform faces opposition from legislators who do not want to vote to raise other statewide taxes to pay for it and that they claim the defeat of the Act 1 referendum proves their point. These uninformed, misguided lawmakers fail to understand that taxpayers DO NOT OBJECT to raising other statewide taxes if school property taxes are COMPLETELY ELIMINATED. We object strenuously only to raising taxes for fake TEMPORARY “relief” such as HB 1600.
Now that the hearings have delivered the first blow to the sponsors of HB 1600, we need to hit them again – hard - to permanently knock this fraudulent measure out of contention.
Please call, write, or e-mail your district’s Representative to let them know that you do not want HB 1600 in any manner whatsoever and that you will hold them accountable if they support this bill. Further, let them know that you DO NOT CARE if a statewide tax such as the sales tax is raised as long as it ELIMINATES school property taxes. Debate on property tax reform will begin soon and we must get these messages to the legislators NOW!
If you do not know your Representative’s contact information it is available by Zip+4 at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm.
It is notable that two co-sponsors of HB 1600, Rep. Carl Mantz (Berks) and Rep. Stan Saylor (York) have withdrawn their co-sponsorship of this bill. We send our heartfelt thanks to them for the courage and integrity they exhibited by doing this. Please feel free to offer your thanks and encouragement to them.
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New PTCC Blog
There’s a new blog site for the PTCC! This blog is for anyone who cares to read it and EVERYONE is welcome to post comments. The blog information is identical to the PTCC updates and was started so concerned folks can have an outlet to post their own thoughts and suggestions. This is still a work in progress with a lot more information to be added (including links), so please don't be too critical. Feel free to add your own comments about property tax elimination, personal tax horror stories, anything that pertains to this subject! With enough comments it might make very interesting reading for lawmakers. http://pataxpayers.blogspot.com/
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New PCTA Member
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA) is very pleased to welcome a new member group to the organization. The Oley Concerned Citizens group (Berks County) joined the PCTA last week; they will be a terrific addition to the PCTA and a huge help in furthering our goals. Please welcome them - it's great to have them on board! http://oleyconcernedcitizens.blogspot.com/
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Thank You!
Finally, many of you have been taking a great deal of initiative in helping to spread the word about the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 by making posters, tear-offs, and other promotional materials, and by sending e-mails to friends and relatives. A large number of you have sent me copies of your letters to legislators and their sometimes mealy-mouthed replies. As I’ve said before, the more grassroots participation we have the better chance we have at achieving our goal of school property tax ELIMINATION, so keep on working at recruiting others to join our effort. Thank you very much for keeping me informed on your activities and for working so hard on this issue. It is truly appreciated and your efforts WILL help to make a difference.
Please write to me at pataxpayers@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.
NOW is the time to eliminate school property taxes and we WILL get this done!
David Baldinger
PTCC Administrator
http://www.ptcc.us
Dear Friends,
The seven House Finance Committee dog-and-pony-show hearings on House Bill 1600 are finally completed and pretty much worked against the sponsors of this useless legislation. The lawmakers who are promoting this measure received mostly negative comments from both taxpayers and those who testified at the hearings, with many of the hearings turning raucous because of loud taxpayer discontent with this old, tired, valueless “solution” to the property tax crisis. On September 6 a Reading Eagle editorial hammered the Committee because they turned deaf ears to the taxpayers’ wishes: http://internetservices.readingeagle.com/blog/editorials/archives/2007/09/voices_of_the_v.html
If you’re unfamiliar with HB 1600, it’s another temporary property tax “relief” scheme similar to the Act 1 referendum that will permanently raise the state sales and income taxes to finance a small homestead rebate (average $414) that will quickly be eaten away by continually rising property taxes. Further, it does absolutely nothing to address the underlying problems with education finance; it is simply another fraud being perpetrated on Pennsylvania homeowners. More details about HB 1600 are available in the August 24 PTCC update available here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/arc082407.htm
In a related matter, the Associated Press reported over the weekend that property tax reform faces opposition from legislators who do not want to vote to raise other statewide taxes to pay for it and that they claim the defeat of the Act 1 referendum proves their point. These uninformed, misguided lawmakers fail to understand that taxpayers DO NOT OBJECT to raising other statewide taxes if school property taxes are COMPLETELY ELIMINATED. We object strenuously only to raising taxes for fake TEMPORARY “relief” such as HB 1600.
Now that the hearings have delivered the first blow to the sponsors of HB 1600, we need to hit them again – hard - to permanently knock this fraudulent measure out of contention.
Please call, write, or e-mail your district’s Representative to let them know that you do not want HB 1600 in any manner whatsoever and that you will hold them accountable if they support this bill. Further, let them know that you DO NOT CARE if a statewide tax such as the sales tax is raised as long as it ELIMINATES school property taxes. Debate on property tax reform will begin soon and we must get these messages to the legislators NOW!
If you do not know your Representative’s contact information it is available by Zip+4 at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm.
It is notable that two co-sponsors of HB 1600, Rep. Carl Mantz (Berks) and Rep. Stan Saylor (York) have withdrawn their co-sponsorship of this bill. We send our heartfelt thanks to them for the courage and integrity they exhibited by doing this. Please feel free to offer your thanks and encouragement to them.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
New PTCC Blog
There’s a new blog site for the PTCC! This blog is for anyone who cares to read it and EVERYONE is welcome to post comments. The blog information is identical to the PTCC updates and was started so concerned folks can have an outlet to post their own thoughts and suggestions. This is still a work in progress with a lot more information to be added (including links), so please don't be too critical. Feel free to add your own comments about property tax elimination, personal tax horror stories, anything that pertains to this subject! With enough comments it might make very interesting reading for lawmakers. http://pataxpayers.blogspot.com/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
New PCTA Member
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA) is very pleased to welcome a new member group to the organization. The Oley Concerned Citizens group (Berks County) joined the PCTA last week; they will be a terrific addition to the PCTA and a huge help in furthering our goals. Please welcome them - it's great to have them on board! http://oleyconcernedcitizens.blogspot.com/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Thank You!
Finally, many of you have been taking a great deal of initiative in helping to spread the word about the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 by making posters, tear-offs, and other promotional materials, and by sending e-mails to friends and relatives. A large number of you have sent me copies of your letters to legislators and their sometimes mealy-mouthed replies. As I’ve said before, the more grassroots participation we have the better chance we have at achieving our goal of school property tax ELIMINATION, so keep on working at recruiting others to join our effort. Thank you very much for keeping me informed on your activities and for working so hard on this issue. It is truly appreciated and your efforts WILL help to make a difference.
Please write to me at pataxpayers@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.
NOW is the time to eliminate school property taxes and we WILL get this done!
David Baldinger
PTCC Administrator
http://www.ptcc.us
Action Item
06 September 2007
Dear Friends,
The Pennsylvania General assembly will be re-convening on September 17 and we need to encourage the House leadership to begin action on the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007.
** ACTION ITEM **
As soon as possible, please call or write to Representative William DeWeese (House Majority Leader) and Representative Keith McCall (House Majority Whip) and urge them to issue a co-sponsorship letter for the bipartisan School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 (SPTEA) and to introduce the bill as quickly as possible. The letters should be respectful and non-threatening, and should voice your wholehearted support for the SPTEA and for those who help to have the bill enacted. Thank them for their efforts! Please do not use form letters, but instead write a personalized letter and – this is important - use business titles with your signature if applicable.
If you have first-hand knowledge of any of the recent HB 1600 hearings, please don’t be afraid to mention that you have seen the negative reactions to HB 1600 and that you do not support it in any manner. If you need more information about HB 1600 it is available here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/arc082407.htm
Contact information for these two Representatives is below. A letter from the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA) to these leaders is also copied below for your reference.
The PTCC and PCTA cannot express enough the urgency of this item, so please help if you can and encourage as many of your friends as possible to do so as well.
My thanks in advance for all of your help.
Please write to me at pataxpayers@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.
NOW is the time to eliminate school property taxes and we WILL get this done!
David Baldinger
PTCC Administrator
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Hon. H. William DeWeese
222 Elm Drive
Suite 101, P.O. Box 832
Waynesburg, PA 15370
(724) 627-8683
Fax: (724) 627-6043
wdeweese@pahouse.net
Hon. Keith R. McCall
162 West Ridge Street
Lansford, PA 18232
(570) 645-7585
Fax: (570) 645-9526
kmccall@pahouse.net
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04 September 2007
Dear Representatives DeWeese and McCall,
This morning on the Feedback show on WEEU, Reading, Representatives Thomas Caltagirone, Sam Rohrer, and David Kessler were guests to discuss property taxes.
Representatives Caltagirone and Rohrer both were adamant about school property tax elimination while Representative Kessler insisted that HB 1600 was preferable and another "first step". The result was as definitive as it was predictable: Without exaggeration, fully one hundred percent of the callers supported elimination while many disparaged both HB 1600 and Representative Kessler’s support of this measure.
The results of the House Finance Committee hearings on HB 1600 last week in Berks and Bucks Counties were similar. Both hearings had a large turnout of voters and witnesses who favor elimination, with very few, if any, supporters for HB 1600.
As a spokesperson for the twenty-one member groups of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA), I am respectfully requesting on behalf of the PCTA that you issue a co-sponsorship memorandum for the bipartisan School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 as soon as possible so that the bill may be introduced in a timely fashion for the beginning of the September session of the House of Representatives.
The PCTA and our more than fifteen thousand members fully support the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 and, further, will also fully support any House member who will help to advance this legislation.
In recent newspaper articles and in e-mail releases by the House Democratic Caucus you both, as leaders, have indicated your support for school property tax elimination. Please continue to maintain this support and to do all that is possible to aid the passage of this bill for the benefit of all Pennsylvania homeowners and schoolchildren.
The courtesy of a reply would be appreciated.
Very truly yours,
David Baldinger
Administrator, Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition
Member, Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations
Dear Friends,
The Pennsylvania General assembly will be re-convening on September 17 and we need to encourage the House leadership to begin action on the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007.
** ACTION ITEM **
As soon as possible, please call or write to Representative William DeWeese (House Majority Leader) and Representative Keith McCall (House Majority Whip) and urge them to issue a co-sponsorship letter for the bipartisan School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 (SPTEA) and to introduce the bill as quickly as possible. The letters should be respectful and non-threatening, and should voice your wholehearted support for the SPTEA and for those who help to have the bill enacted. Thank them for their efforts! Please do not use form letters, but instead write a personalized letter and – this is important - use business titles with your signature if applicable.
If you have first-hand knowledge of any of the recent HB 1600 hearings, please don’t be afraid to mention that you have seen the negative reactions to HB 1600 and that you do not support it in any manner. If you need more information about HB 1600 it is available here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/arc082407.htm
Contact information for these two Representatives is below. A letter from the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA) to these leaders is also copied below for your reference.
The PTCC and PCTA cannot express enough the urgency of this item, so please help if you can and encourage as many of your friends as possible to do so as well.
My thanks in advance for all of your help.
Please write to me at pataxpayers@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.
NOW is the time to eliminate school property taxes and we WILL get this done!
David Baldinger
PTCC Administrator
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Hon. H. William DeWeese
222 Elm Drive
Suite 101, P.O. Box 832
Waynesburg, PA 15370
(724) 627-8683
Fax: (724) 627-6043
wdeweese@pahouse.net
Hon. Keith R. McCall
162 West Ridge Street
Lansford, PA 18232
(570) 645-7585
Fax: (570) 645-9526
kmccall@pahouse.net
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04 September 2007
Dear Representatives DeWeese and McCall,
This morning on the Feedback show on WEEU, Reading, Representatives Thomas Caltagirone, Sam Rohrer, and David Kessler were guests to discuss property taxes.
Representatives Caltagirone and Rohrer both were adamant about school property tax elimination while Representative Kessler insisted that HB 1600 was preferable and another "first step". The result was as definitive as it was predictable: Without exaggeration, fully one hundred percent of the callers supported elimination while many disparaged both HB 1600 and Representative Kessler’s support of this measure.
The results of the House Finance Committee hearings on HB 1600 last week in Berks and Bucks Counties were similar. Both hearings had a large turnout of voters and witnesses who favor elimination, with very few, if any, supporters for HB 1600.
As a spokesperson for the twenty-one member groups of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA), I am respectfully requesting on behalf of the PCTA that you issue a co-sponsorship memorandum for the bipartisan School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 as soon as possible so that the bill may be introduced in a timely fashion for the beginning of the September session of the House of Representatives.
The PCTA and our more than fifteen thousand members fully support the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 and, further, will also fully support any House member who will help to advance this legislation.
In recent newspaper articles and in e-mail releases by the House Democratic Caucus you both, as leaders, have indicated your support for school property tax elimination. Please continue to maintain this support and to do all that is possible to aid the passage of this bill for the benefit of all Pennsylvania homeowners and schoolchildren.
The courtesy of a reply would be appreciated.
Very truly yours,
David Baldinger
Administrator, Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition
Member, Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations
More Useless Property Tax "Relief" Legislation
24 August 2007
Dear Friends,
It has been a delightful summer and I hope that all of you have enjoyed your time in the warm weather.
There has not been too much that has been newsworthy about property taxes over the past months, although a lot has been happening behind the scenes. It’s time now to get back to work on this issue.
Some good news from the past month
In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on July 23, House majority whip Keith McCall said: “We are committed to making property tax reform the pre-eminent issue come this fall".
And an e-mail newsletter issued by the House Democratic Caucus on August 10 stated this about the fall agenda: “What can you look forward to? How about a revolutionary new bipartisan plan to eliminate school property taxes for homeowners?”
This is very good news. There is only one plan currently in the House that meets the above criteria of “bipartisan” and “elimination” – the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007, the former Plan For Pennsylvania’s Future, the school property tax measure supported by the PTCC. Now it will be up to us to ensure that these lawmakers will make good on their pronouncements.
Our chances for significant school finance reform are greater now than at any time in the past. We must be prepared over the next few months to do what is necessary to achieve our goal: school property tax ELIMINATION.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PCTA Meeting
Representatives from the twenty-one member groups of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA), the PTCC’s statewide umbrella organization, met on August 19 to develop plans and strategies to support the introduction of the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 during the fall session of the legislature. It was a very spirited meeting and I’ll be sharing these strategies with you over the next few weeks.
During the meeting, the PCTA approved a resolution to the Pennsylvania General Assembly that demonstrates unequivocal support for the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007. You can read the resolution here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/resolutions.htm.
Following the meeting the PCTA issued a press release about the meeting and the PCTA’s scathing opposition to a new, useless property tax “relief” bill, HB 1600. The press release is available here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/pressreleases.htm.
One of the speakers at the meeting was a former lobbyist who spoke to the PCTA about grassroots campaigns. An interesting fact that he related was that it can take as few as ten letters from constituents to change a legislator’s vote on an issue. For those of you who ever had doubts about the effectiveness of contacting your legislator, this should change your opinion!
Again, I’ll be sending more information in future newsletters about the PCTA’s efforts and how you can help to support the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Problem Legislation - IMPORTANT
On July 17, Representative David Levdansky (D-39, Allegheny/Washington) introduced House Bill 1600, another valueless, fraudulent property tax “relief” measure.
Already being advertised as a “good first step” (how many times have we heard THAT?!), HB 1600 is exactly the same as the Act 1 referendum that was resoundingly thrashed at the polls in May. It imposes a 0.5% increase in the sales tax and a .22% increase in the state income tax in return for an approximate $525 homestead exemption. The legislators who support this bill are telling us that it will offer an average 40%-50% reduction in property taxes, but this is simply more smoke and mirrors to try to gain taxpayer acceptance and is patently misleading.
HB 1600 is based on EXACTLY the same principle as the Act 1 tax shift. It imposes new, permanent taxes in exchange for minimal temporary “relief” that will quickly be eaten up by relentlessly rising property taxes. HB 1600 will not only leave taxpayers with their same burdensome property tax bills plus additional new taxes, it also will do nothing to address the antiquated, crumbling education finance system, the cost of education, or equitable funding for public schools. It is another valueless band-aid approach that will again leave Pennsylvania homeowners without true, effective property tax reform. Further, unlike the Act 1 referendum where voters had a voice in rejecting the measure, this bill can be enacted and jammed down our throats with no input whatsoever from taxpayers.
I am astonished at the arrogance of these legislators who think that they can again regurgitate the same old plan that has failed three times in the past and still expect us to fall for their charade. Their utter disregard for the intelligence of Pennsylvania taxpayers is incomprehensible and they must be told unequivocally that we WILL NOT tolerate any more of their misguided halfway measures.
The biggest concern with HB 1600 is that if it is enacted the legislature will tell us that they have given us property tax relief and nothing more will be done for the foreseeable future. As much as they like to tell us that this is another “first step”, we know that if HB 1600 passes it will be the last step towards true education finance reform for a very long time.
We MUST fight this measure in any way possible.
First, I would ask all of you to please contact your Representative and ask him or her to support property tax ELIMINATION when the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 is introduced. Further, request that they absolutely reject House Bill 1600 as another inadequate attempt at property tax relief. If you do not know your Representative’s contact information it is available by Zip+4 at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm.
Second, and more importantly, please attend one of the hearings that are being held for HB 1600 by the State House Finance Committee. A hearing will be held in Bucks County on August 27 and in Berks County on August 29; information is below. If you live in either of these counties or the counties surrounding them, PLEASE make an effort to attend one of these hearings to voice your displeasure with House Bill 1600. A huge attendance by concerned taxpayers can make a significant impression on these legislators.
MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2007
1:00 PM FINANCE COMMITTEE Public hearing on HB 1600 - Property Tax
(Hosted by Rep. Chris King)
Falls Twp. Building
Community Room
188 Lincoln Highway
Fairless Hills, PA (Bucks County)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2007
10:00 AM FINANCE COMMITTEE Public hearing on HB 1600 - Property Tax
(Hosted by Rep. David Kessler)
Oley Fair Center
26 Jefferson Street
Oley, PA (Berks County)
Other hearings will be scheduled later in various parts of the state; I’ll pass along the information when it’s received.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In closing, I want to thank all of you for your support of our efforts to achieve honest, equitable school finance reform. Please work to enlist the help of others in this campaign so we can have an even larger base of support for the benefit of all Pennsylvania taxpayers and schoolchildren. The more hands, the better!
Your questions and concerns are always welcome – please write to me at pataxpayers@gmail.com.
David Baldinger
PTCC Administrator
http://www.ptcc.us/
Dear Friends,
It has been a delightful summer and I hope that all of you have enjoyed your time in the warm weather.
There has not been too much that has been newsworthy about property taxes over the past months, although a lot has been happening behind the scenes. It’s time now to get back to work on this issue.
Some good news from the past month
In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on July 23, House majority whip Keith McCall said: “We are committed to making property tax reform the pre-eminent issue come this fall".
And an e-mail newsletter issued by the House Democratic Caucus on August 10 stated this about the fall agenda: “What can you look forward to? How about a revolutionary new bipartisan plan to eliminate school property taxes for homeowners?”
This is very good news. There is only one plan currently in the House that meets the above criteria of “bipartisan” and “elimination” – the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007, the former Plan For Pennsylvania’s Future, the school property tax measure supported by the PTCC. Now it will be up to us to ensure that these lawmakers will make good on their pronouncements.
Our chances for significant school finance reform are greater now than at any time in the past. We must be prepared over the next few months to do what is necessary to achieve our goal: school property tax ELIMINATION.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PCTA Meeting
Representatives from the twenty-one member groups of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA), the PTCC’s statewide umbrella organization, met on August 19 to develop plans and strategies to support the introduction of the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 during the fall session of the legislature. It was a very spirited meeting and I’ll be sharing these strategies with you over the next few weeks.
During the meeting, the PCTA approved a resolution to the Pennsylvania General Assembly that demonstrates unequivocal support for the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007. You can read the resolution here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/resolutions.htm.
Following the meeting the PCTA issued a press release about the meeting and the PCTA’s scathing opposition to a new, useless property tax “relief” bill, HB 1600. The press release is available here: http://mysite.verizon.net/drbsr/PTCCWeb/pressreleases.htm.
One of the speakers at the meeting was a former lobbyist who spoke to the PCTA about grassroots campaigns. An interesting fact that he related was that it can take as few as ten letters from constituents to change a legislator’s vote on an issue. For those of you who ever had doubts about the effectiveness of contacting your legislator, this should change your opinion!
Again, I’ll be sending more information in future newsletters about the PCTA’s efforts and how you can help to support the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Problem Legislation - IMPORTANT
On July 17, Representative David Levdansky (D-39, Allegheny/Washington) introduced House Bill 1600, another valueless, fraudulent property tax “relief” measure.
Already being advertised as a “good first step” (how many times have we heard THAT?!), HB 1600 is exactly the same as the Act 1 referendum that was resoundingly thrashed at the polls in May. It imposes a 0.5% increase in the sales tax and a .22% increase in the state income tax in return for an approximate $525 homestead exemption. The legislators who support this bill are telling us that it will offer an average 40%-50% reduction in property taxes, but this is simply more smoke and mirrors to try to gain taxpayer acceptance and is patently misleading.
HB 1600 is based on EXACTLY the same principle as the Act 1 tax shift. It imposes new, permanent taxes in exchange for minimal temporary “relief” that will quickly be eaten up by relentlessly rising property taxes. HB 1600 will not only leave taxpayers with their same burdensome property tax bills plus additional new taxes, it also will do nothing to address the antiquated, crumbling education finance system, the cost of education, or equitable funding for public schools. It is another valueless band-aid approach that will again leave Pennsylvania homeowners without true, effective property tax reform. Further, unlike the Act 1 referendum where voters had a voice in rejecting the measure, this bill can be enacted and jammed down our throats with no input whatsoever from taxpayers.
I am astonished at the arrogance of these legislators who think that they can again regurgitate the same old plan that has failed three times in the past and still expect us to fall for their charade. Their utter disregard for the intelligence of Pennsylvania taxpayers is incomprehensible and they must be told unequivocally that we WILL NOT tolerate any more of their misguided halfway measures.
The biggest concern with HB 1600 is that if it is enacted the legislature will tell us that they have given us property tax relief and nothing more will be done for the foreseeable future. As much as they like to tell us that this is another “first step”, we know that if HB 1600 passes it will be the last step towards true education finance reform for a very long time.
We MUST fight this measure in any way possible.
First, I would ask all of you to please contact your Representative and ask him or her to support property tax ELIMINATION when the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 is introduced. Further, request that they absolutely reject House Bill 1600 as another inadequate attempt at property tax relief. If you do not know your Representative’s contact information it is available by Zip+4 at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm.
Second, and more importantly, please attend one of the hearings that are being held for HB 1600 by the State House Finance Committee. A hearing will be held in Bucks County on August 27 and in Berks County on August 29; information is below. If you live in either of these counties or the counties surrounding them, PLEASE make an effort to attend one of these hearings to voice your displeasure with House Bill 1600. A huge attendance by concerned taxpayers can make a significant impression on these legislators.
MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2007
1:00 PM FINANCE COMMITTEE Public hearing on HB 1600 - Property Tax
(Hosted by Rep. Chris King)
Falls Twp. Building
Community Room
188 Lincoln Highway
Fairless Hills, PA (Bucks County)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2007
10:00 AM FINANCE COMMITTEE Public hearing on HB 1600 - Property Tax
(Hosted by Rep. David Kessler)
Oley Fair Center
26 Jefferson Street
Oley, PA (Berks County)
Other hearings will be scheduled later in various parts of the state; I’ll pass along the information when it’s received.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In closing, I want to thank all of you for your support of our efforts to achieve honest, equitable school finance reform. Please work to enlist the help of others in this campaign so we can have an even larger base of support for the benefit of all Pennsylvania taxpayers and schoolchildren. The more hands, the better!
Your questions and concerns are always welcome – please write to me at pataxpayers@gmail.com.
David Baldinger
PTCC Administrator
http://www.ptcc.us/
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