Tax cuts for seniors

Gov. Josh Shapiro visited the West Shore Senior Center in New Cumberland ob Aug. 8 to ceremonially sign HB1100, which expands the Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) program to nearly 175,000 more Pennsylvania seniors and doubles rebates for many of the 400,000 Pennsylvanians who already qualify.

Last week, the governor signed the expansion into law, delivering the largest targeted tax break in nearly two decades for Pennsylvania seniors.

Shapiro proposed the expansion of the PTRR program during his campaign and in his first budget address to provide support for Pennsylvania renters and homeowners who need it most – and he visited the West Shore Senior Center in May to share the details of his proposal.

“While I was campaigning, I heard from seniors all across the Commonwealth that they needed more support to keep up rising costs of living,” Shapiro said in the press release detailing the ceremony. “I made a promise to them during my campaign and in my budget address that my Administration would be there for them – and we delivered with the largest targeted tax cut for our seniors in two decades.

“Starting next year, for applications filed beginning January 1st, we will put more money in older adults’ pockets. This expansion provides a much-needed update to PTRR and 173,000 more Pennsylvanians will qualify – including more than 2,000 seniors in Cumberland County alone.”

Providing a lifeline for Pennsylvania renters and homeowners who need it most and helping seniors across the Commonwealth stay in their homes is a priority of the Shapiro-Davis Administration – and the PTRR expansion passed the House and Senate with near-unanimous bipartisan support to increase income limits, provide larger rebates for those who qualify and include a cost-of-living adjustment so the program keeps up with rising prices.

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis added: “Pennsylvania seniors deserve relief from the rising costs of inflation as grocery and heating bills continue to go up. They deserve to live in dignity, and they deserve a government that delivers real results for them and their families. That’s exactly what we’ve done with the Property Tax/Rent Rebate expansion.

“This bill passed with bipartisan support in the House and the Senate. It’s truly an example of what happens when leaders come together to get things done here in the Commonwealth – and there’s more to come,” Davis continued. “We’ve got our first budget done, and we’re continuing to work on commonsense solutions to the most pressing problems that our Commonwealth faces.”

“I’m hopeful in the fact that we are seeing bipartisan legislation – and I see it in the House, I see it in the Senate, and, of course, in the Governor’s office. This is a man who understands politics is the art of compromise, and he has a way of communicating with people,” said West Shore Senior Center member Diane Salerno. “He doesn’t simply hear you – he listens. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this inspired and hopeful for Pennsylvania.”