Seniors need to lobby for real tax reform
At least one gubernatorial candidate is pushing property tax breaks for only the elderly, and some senior citizens are quick to believe they ought to be exempt from paying school taxes. That argument is misdirected and takes the focus off what is really needed in Pennsylvania, property tax reform for all real estate holders and a better, fairer distribution of funding for local schools. Seniors who claim they ought not to pay for services, such as public schools, that they don’t use, should stop and consider that younger, working folks could argue they ought not to pay Medicare taxes for services they don’t receive. Unlike Social Security, Medicare is a pay-as-you-go system with Americans contributing 1.45 percent of their income to support it. Even those Americans who don’t have health insurance benefits are obligated to support the senior plan. Those seniors who don’t want to pay school taxes should be willing to pick up the full cost of health insurance. For most a month’s premium would probably run the same as an annual school tax bill, so it’s not an enticing trade.
So, instead of complaining that they ought not to pay any tax to support schools, seniors should join with all property owners and suggest that the governor (and governor wannabes) along with the lawmakers come up with a better system.
There are several bills worth considering that shift the load from property taxes onto an increase in the sales or income taxes.
These proposals are worth debating, but they will remain buried unless groups, such as the effective lobbying of senior citizens organizations, force them to light.