Panel backs increase in earned income tax
CALIFORNIA – The California Area School Board heard a recommendation from their tax study commission to increase the earned income tax by .5 percent, following their reorganization meeting Monday evening. The increase would bring the tax to 1 percent for the school board and .5 percent for the borough, according to Amy Todd, commission chair. She said with the increase taxpayers making more than $35,000 annually would end up paying more money with the shift in taxes. Those making less would see a savings, she added.
The school board has until March 13 to make a decision of whether or not to take the commission’s advice.
State school boards appointed the tax study commissions in September to comply with the Taxpayer Relief Act, which mandated that a five-, seven- or nine-member commission study existing taxes for their district and recommend an earned income or personal income tax rate to reduce property taxes.
“I don’t see it as a tax reform at all,” John Bayer, school board member, said. “Unbelievable! What a tax reform.”
Bayer and other board members praised the commission for their work and indicated that the time and effort the commission spent analyzing the information should be considered when the matter comes for a vote before the board.
“If that’s what the tax study recommends, they did all the work,” Bayer said.
In other matters, the board re-appointed President Thomas Russell, appointed Barry Niccolai as first vice-president, re-appointed Donna Tyrpin as second vice-president and the representative for the vo-tech, re-appointed Andrews and Price as the solicitor for the school district and re-appointed Nate Nevala as the legislative representative and the Pennsylvania School Board Association representative.
Board meetings of 2007 will be held at 7 p.m. every third Wednesday of every month in the California High School cafeteria. Committee-of-the-whole meetings of 2007 and the 2007 reorganization meeting will be held at 7 p.m. the second Monday of the month in Phillipsburg School.