what makes you think that raising taxes cures your spending,? now I know I am reading the ignorant and arrogant of the spending thiefs, I will never give blood or donate money until the thiefs(folks who steal our money from a tax base) are removed from office. Rasing taxes really cures you woes of being in debt? where the hell did you go to school? Pennsylvania solialist school of thiefs? You commie bastards will never learn, NEVER, and I can tell the rest of you slaves could care less, just buy you non-action. Pay losers and keep paying and when I read about you sorry butt problems with not enough money to pay your tax bill. thats just to damn bad, I laugh when the stste takes you property that you worked you your self to death paying for and the state takes with a stroke of a pen, ALL LOSERS < ALL!!!!! To bad Pennslvania can't print its own dollars, then we can be like all the other FIAT currencies ihn the world. WORTHLESS. Drop dead with you tax increase,

one comment tells volumes, NO ONE READS YOUR PATCH..........................

What's up with some of the posters on here?

I do agree with Mr. Wood that raising taxes is not the answer. The rest of the rant,.....I won't go there.I fully support HB 1776, as a home owner I get hammered every year with higher and higher taxes. Those who don't own a property may get a slight rent increase. The tax burdens should not be on the home owner, they should be levied on everybody. As a parent of one child, I can see how people feel it is not fair on the people who do not have children to have to pay these School district taxes every year, as it is not fair that I pay the same rate as someone who has 4 or 5 children attending schools.Maybe to close this "gap" they speak of, they could charge a small fee to parents who have children currently attending schools. Socialized education isn't really the way to educate our children on the values and rights in our nations founding documents.

Reading the comments of mark wood, I am struck by the poor quality of the education he has received. Was he educated in PA's public school system or elsewhere? Perhaps he dropped out of school, figuring he had nothing else to learn? Maybe he was just not bright enough to learn proper spelling or grammar. Whatever the answer is to his apparent borderline illiteracy, I have difficulty taking very seriously someone who is so obviously uneducated.

I do think that finding an alternate method of funding schools makes a great deal more sense and is inherently more fair than taxing property value.

I think they should have added sales tax to food sales. This way even those who get free food would pay a tax and help us homeowners.

I certainly feel better when I fill my car with gas and pay from the left pocket rather than the right pocket. This should work as well. Maybe lowering the expense side would work evev better.

@Jeff- I'm not sure how one can say that socialized education is not the right way to educate our children. Would it be preferrable to return to an era that's strictly a private schooling system where only those affluent enough are capable of gaining an education, where illiteracy is the norm and social strata become even more entrenched? Education is considered one of the great equalizers. Were you not yourself educated in the public school system? That's not to say that things don't need to change, but implying that the public school system should be done away with seems particularly short-sighted and myopic. I dont have any children myself, but I can easily grasp the value and importance of an educated populace, and It's way cheaper to educate children then to incarcerate adults.

Here is the problem... What's going to happen is what has already happened in NJ, NY and elsewhere. Property tax will go *up* alongside increased sales and income taxes. Anyone who feels they have plenty of extra money to keep paying ever increasing taxes should consider why so many run from NY and NJ.

If spending isn't brought under control, there will *never* be stability. NJ has some of the absolute *highest* taxes in the country, and has some of the most affluent people, and *still* runs a deficit that never catches up so has seen *increases* on the middle class that are crippling during a monster recession. The millionaire tax, however, was of course shot down.

PA is basically inching towards the NJ model. Time to find somewhere else to live (other than the NE), I suppose. As an upper middle class tax payer, I'm tired of seeing my quality of life drop steadily year over year as my salary stays flat and expenses continually increase thanks to voracious municipalities. Punishing the people that stay well employed while multi millionaires and billionaires continue to pay nothing is a recipe for disaster, but the under employed seem to love it and, of course, it is just what the real elites ordered.

It's not a tax problem its and expense problem, until we reorganize DEP and EPA, Pension funds, wasteful tax spending, corporate tax loop holes, stupid projects like the NIZ, etc. etc. changing the funding does nothing, just like Craig Anthony says. I do agree it would make living in your house easier until they decide to start taxing your vegtable garden in your backyard because you can't afford to buy food in the stores. We are so screwed.

Mr. Sentner is right!!!!!!!!!! Why not cut expenses at the state level? Lay off a few bodies who are non-productive, and just taking up space. And stop funding things like the NIZ!!! Giving millions of my tax dollars to a private enterprise is all wrong!!! If the state would keep their tax money instead of giving it away to useless causes, there would be less needed. If private enterprise wants to do something, that is fine, but do not look to me for funding by taking my state taxes to fund their projects. Get private funding just like everyone else!!

Those who think that 1776 is a good idea better think a little bit more before supporting it. Here are a few things to think about:

-The distribution of tax money going to the schools is going to be controlled at the state level. If we get another governor like Ed Rendell, you are going to see the money from the suburbs and rural districts being funneled into Philadelphia (Didn't their district just declare bankruptcy?)
-Would they propose an idea like this to save us money? Of course not. They are doing this to get more money from us, just in a different form.
-This is going to hurt those from the lower income classes. Many people think that people who rent do not pay property taxes, but they do-just not directly. The landlord's tax bill gets passed onto the renters, and you know that the rent bill is not going to drop if this passes, but instead renters are now going to get double taxed.
-The current system is a predictable source of renevue for the schools. By changing it to a sales based system, the amount of tax revenue is now unpredictable. Should the economy get better, the state is going to spend away, and when the next recession hits, guess what? Rates are going to be hiked.
-Saving seniors money? If they a renting or if they no longer live in their home, they are going to be paying MORE because they still buy goods. Instead, find a way to save them on their heating bills, a season's worth of oil will easily run more that double that of a tax bill.
More...

No way should 10,000 people be losing their homes because of school / property taxes. I has been too easy for local governments, the economy has been good so need more, just raise taxes. Now reality in setting in, you can kick 10,000 people out of their homes but with this bad economy now there is no one to take thier place, emply house = no taxes. What to do? What to do?

...
-What makes you think that the state won't take the money they bring in from this plan and spend it on their pet projects, depriving our children of a quality education (Like how the Fed takes Social Security money and use it elsewhere?)
-People complain that those who don't have kids have to pay for kids they don't have. But aren't these the same people who are beneficiaries of an education system paid for by our taxes? Using their logic, I should't have to pay for welfare or social Security because I never collected from it.
-Under this plan, businesses are not going to have to pay for school taxes anymore, so where is that money going to come from that they once paid? Same for landlords.

So be wary of supporting 1776, it's going to be making a deal with the devil.

No. Until we reign in spending and refrom the school system nothing we do will help.

Ever look at the homes out in Plamer Twsp. and some of the other municipalities in the district? It's a different story. Also, Easton is not the only school district in the Valley. I do think that Easton has suffered from some bad leadership over the years. Don't over generalize.

Going from a local property tax system to a state wide sales/income tax has several benefits if it has proper controls so that prejudice and politics are removed from the amounts each school district receives. Giving local districts funds based only on per student day attended would give each district equal financing. It would encourage school boards to make the most of the money they got, encourage programs to minimize truancy and to negotiate reasonable wages, benefits and pensions for school district employees.
Currently, school boards come up with what they are going to spend and stick property owners with higher taxes to cover their lack of spending control. If they raise taxes significantly, businesses and associated jobs will leave, forcing home owners to pay more. My current school tax is more than double what the total of school, city and county taxes were when I bought my house, but my income is half of what it was 10 years ago.
The property tax system has no controls put in place to adjust for economic situations. When there is a downturn in the economy as there is now, those that continue to work have the ability to pay property taxes, but if you retire, have a lower paying job or lose a job, your taxes continue to rise even though you have fewer funds available. A family that has paid off their mortgage and no longer owe on their house, may lose their home because property taxes continue to rise uncontrollably.

By having an education system that is based on sales tax and income tax revenue, people on fixed incomes and those who lose their jobs or end up working for a lower wage, will not see higher taxes and may pay lower taxes if they have to reduce spending. Those that are working and receiving higher wages, bonuses, over time payments, etc. will have more to spend, and although none of us likes to pay higher taxes, they would be in a position to pay more without losing any buying power. As a person’s income rose and fell, his school tax would be adjusted accordingly.

If the law is properly written so that prejudice and politics are removed from the amounts each school district receives, a sales tax and income tax would be more responsive to individuals financial conditions and would allow homeowners with financial setbacks to have a better chance at keeping their homes.

Without their ability to increase their income on a whim, It would also require school boards to use imagination and ingenuity to fund programs that are productive rather than just fluff.

how about lets can a nadle on unfunded mandates, PENSIONS, tenure, and over development. Lets try doing that first. then everything else should fal;l back into place.

more practical to reduce the property tax 50% and increase state income tax and sales tax accordingly.

The existing property assessment system is fatally flawed because although it is very clear, and laid out in excruciating detail, how assessments are supposed to be done, there is no law requiring that assessments be performed at all. Reassessments are totally up to the whims of county councils. Unless properties are reassessed frequently, even every year as is done in some other states, the assessments of properties with lower than average fair market values tend to be proportionally higher than they should be. This same statistical tendency, over time, causes the assessments of higher than average fair market value properties to be lower than they should be. Therefore the wealthy, as usual, are not paying their fair share. If you want to read more, please to go my site - http://www.thecommonman.com/ - and read why the very expensive properties are assessed at far lower percentages than average properties.

If high end properties were properly assessed, there would be a significant increase in revenues.

How can any tax be more regressive than the sales tax? How can any income tax be less regressive than the flat income tax Pennsylvania imposes? The sales tax rate does not compute, as it will tax services and goods that people will border hop to procure. Delaware’s 0% sales tax anyone?

HB 1776 also lets bigger businesses off the hook, while shifting tax incidence to small business (beauty parlors, restaurants, funeral homes, accountants, etc. that can’t escape the new sales and use subjects of tax.

If school expenses are too high, then cut expenses. What tax is used is not as relevant as the expense side.

Moving to sales and income taxes would unfairly burden the poor, the elderly, and working families just starting out. If property taxes are so bad, why do states that use it more than other taxes do so well economically (Texas, New Hampshire, Virginia, etc.) . The property tax can be fixed not dumped, and anti-capital measures like sales and income taxes avoided.

Granting the State of Pennsylvania decision making powers over local decisions is not the way to go; I am surprised that supposed free-market advocates want to tax people’s work and capital, and at the state level at that. I wrote a longer piece on the subject: http://www.urbantoolsconsult.org/blog/2012/04/20/Eliminating-the-property-tax-It-must-not-happen-but-well-see-what-happens.aspx

yes eliminate property school tax that is the first step we need to also eliminate high priced school administrators overstaffed no more tenure drug testing mandatory merge school districts watch every move that goes on no more apathy use lottery money for school funding along with an increased sales tax along with changes we have to elect politicians who work for us and not themselves there appears to be too many self serving people in office ergo government for the people and by the people if nothing else works no more free education charge the users

Come up with all regressive forms of taxes. Then all the poor people and unemployed will move to NY and NJ. That's the solution for Pa.

Right, all the seniors who fought and died in WW2 and are now living on a pathetically low social security income would be pushed out with the rest if we continue with regressive forms of taxations. Most of the poor and unemployed are living in apartments already..The ones hurt if there is no reform will be the working poor and seniors..Reform is overdue and necessary..Shocked to see that a Republican is actually considering it..

lol..Obviously not those who died but those who fought..

That first reader needs some meds or mabe some legal weed because he's out there.Ive seen the homes of seniors and financialy strapped people taken from them long enough.I for one am out of work because of a disability and I worked till I cant work no more but Taking our homes because of the ability to pay school/property tax is gone on for too too long .I am not asking for a hand out just some relief enough is enough you keep taking and taking again til there is no more left .My wife and I pay our bills on time and like most people we grumble about it but we do it.Now to get a break wow this is hard to believe especially coming from a republican.I think it's about time EVERYBODY pays there fair share NOT just the HOMEOWNERS.Think about it people all of the freeloaders having to pay the same as me.WOW what a concept.Now all we have to do is look at WELFARE and all will be well.I know thats alot to ask for but one can hope cant he?

Exactly Mike..Property tax reform is long overdue in pennsylvania. So many people are struggling to pay these taxes after working hard their entire life. Now you have the governor's education cuts which puts more pressure on school districts to raise their taxes.. It has to stop. I'll gladly pay more state income taxes and sales taxes so I dont have to worry about losing my home when I retire or if I am laid off of work..Tax reform is so overdue...Just get it done already!!!

we need school tax reform i can see why our educators would not want it .. the same reason al capone disliked elliot ness and jessee james did not want any lawmen around when he visited a bank , now these parasites have the schoolboards in their back pockets stacked with ex teachers and boo hoo liberals they are overpaid over staffed and always wanting more with the state controlling things haha the golden goose meaning us poor tax payers is dead hurrah let the gifted ones laid off get a real job

Have no idea what you are talking about louis but it's not a boo hoo liberal that's causing our school taxes to go up..His name is Tom Corbett..He's our governor..As long as he continues to pass along education costs to our local districts, school taxes will continue to climb..Since many of us, especially seniors on fixed incomes, cannot afford that, we desperately need tax reform..