Property tax breaks lauded and questioned

Westfall - The checks will be in the mail for Pike County property owners, but is it a winning or losing proposition? Based on the projected property tax relief included in the governor’s budget proposal, introduced on Feb. 6, State Rep. John Siptroth said Tuesday that the school districts in his district would receive the most relief in the state. Based on revenue estimates and the formula included in the Taxpayer Relief Act, in 2009 the average relief for homeowners in the four districts will be: East Stroudsburg, $916; Pleasant Valley, $944; Stroudsburg, $686; and Delaware Valley, $808. “I am glad the administration has heard my numerous calls for assistance in meeting this challenge. Governor Rendell’s plan is certainly an excellent beginning to tax relief and will serve middle class homeowners as well as seniors,” Siptroth said in a statement to the press. Robert Goldsack, a Delaware Valley School Board member and tax activist with Taxpayers United, said Siptroth is not telling the whole story. He said the district has computed a $798 refund for homestead property tax rebates based on the 2.5% personal income tax which will appear on the May primary election ballot. Mandated to put a tax proposal on the budget, the board has also announced unanimous opposition to its approval. The rebates are based on income averages lower than the majority of Pike property owners, Goldsack said. “Some seniors would benefit, but any family that has more than a $32,000 combined income will actually pay more in property taxes.” Siptroth said he is also working with the House Democratic leaders to draft a proposal to freeze property taxes for seniors at age 65. The proposal would reduce the amount that seniors pay by 25% every five years starting at age 70, and progressively homeowners 85 or older would pay no property taxes.