Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Marty's Army call to action


I need your help right now! This is what we’ve been waiting for! Here's our opportunity to create change in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians.

In what’s being called a “dramatic turn,” the state House just last night voted 159-36 to eliminate school property taxes for low income seniors.

Remember, the House was supposed to discuss raising sales and income tax. House members dropped that idea and finally followed the will of the people!

Folks -- this is a big deal! But here’s the catch: It needs another favorable vote before it moves to the Senate.

This is what we want: TAX CUTS, not TAX INCREASES!

We all need to call our state representatives TODAY! Call ten times if necessary! Tell them you support the tax cut plan.

If you don’t know who your state rep is, ask someone! Look in the phone book! But do it.

Folks, you know our elected leaders respond to phone calls. They respond to pressure. Please take five minutes out of your day and call or e-mail them. Beg them to follow through!

Please do me a favor and forward this e-mail to ten of your friends. Then listen to The Inside Story with Marty Griffin 9 am-noon on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA. Let's make out leaders listen!

We can make a difference and we can create change. We MUST do it together.

Remember one voice a whisper, but our voice a roar!

Thanks again….

Marty Griffin
So, a property tax cut for seniors means everyone else will pay more. A property tax cut for seniors means that the school districts will have less income and the future generation gets the shaft again.

Kids do not vote. Kids don't listen to Marty's Army either.

I would make a better deal, a different offer. I too like low taxes.

The state should eliminate the deed transfer tax. That way Seniors can easily sell their homes and reclaim its value and downsize without a huge sums of money going out of the transaction to the state for taxes. Penalties associated with the deed transfer tax keep seniors in their homes way too long. We should be able to have a more fluid market so that the value of the people's possessions are not diminished so.

The policy we have now results in the need to bulldoze 60 houses in an older community such as Hazelwood. That is a loss of lots of value. The houses were worn down. The people lost value. The community suffers. The taxpayers pay on multiple instances in the deals now -- by design -- because of bad public policy.

NUKE the deed transfer tax for everyone over the age of 50 who is a part of the sales transaction.
I'd want to nuke the sales tax on property for all people, but this gets to the heart of the matter of trying to do something good for the seniors.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

John K. says: Now on this I agree. This Marty's army is nothing more than a list of e-mails and addresses KDKA can use to asdvertise products (especially restuarants) and spam mail boxes. Get rid of the property tax for all classes of people!

Char said...

No, it does not mean more property taxes for everyone else. The bill Marty was promoting said money would come from slots to pay for low-income seniors' property taxes.

And remember ..... Rendell originally sold gaming in PA by promising the ELIMINATION of school property taxes for ALL property owners. Gaming was legalized and Rendell's promised went poof. Like they usually do.

We do need property tax reform. And I agree, "reform" does not mean lowering one tax by raising another. HB1600 with the Perzel amendment is not one of those tax switcheroo reforms.

Anonymous said...

I don't like the age discrimination aspect of the "save the seniors" campaign.

Much like seniors complain that they don't have kids in the school system, I don't have any seniors in Allegheny County. I don't think that their age is a fair indicator of being able to pay taxes.

Of course, the 90-year-old who can't work in any capacity or have family to take care of them should have some sort of break, but that's an exception to the rule.

Much like some seniors complain that they shouldn't pay for schools, I shouldn't have to pay for their free homes.

TL

Anonymous said...

The main reason most seniors have to sell their houses is because they've already paid for their houses many times over in property taxes and just can't afford the taxes anymore. If you solve that problem, deed taxes aren't a problem fo rthem because they can keep the houses they rightfully own.

My wife and I just bought a house in the South Hills 1.5 years ago. Over the 30 year life of our mortgage (if property taxes don't go up one cent between now and then) we will pay 81% of our home's value in property taxes. And if we plan on living here the rest of our lives we'll most likely end up paying over 300% of our home's value in property taxes in our lifetime. That's if they don't go up in the next 60 years.

Mark Rauterkus said...

No joke.

Property taxes are property taxes. That is NOT the same as the home value nor the land value.

Giving seniors a free ride on property taxes is a way to make a different class of people -- and that is what I do NOT want to happen.

When taxes are too high -- people should move. Moving should be without a tax. If people can easily move -- without harsh penalties, then taxes will stay low for everyone.

Think again.

I don't want seniors to be squatting in properties, without paying taxes.