Column: Corbett's Hoarding of $540 Million Surplus Will Cause School Tax Increases

[JPZenger]

Good column by Dem. State Rep. Conklin about how Corbett's refusal to let any of the State's new $540 million surplus to be spent is not only harming public schools, but also leading to widespread school district property tax increases.

For example, the Allentown School District taxes are increasing 6%, even after eliminating about 240 teachers and teacher's aides.

http://www.centredaily.com/2011/06/07/2760432/surplus-negates-need-for-tax-increases.html

Excerpts from column:

"... under this current budget, millions would be stripped from public education, forcing school boards to go to property owners for more funding... our governor is pushing a plan that taxes you twice. The first tax would be collected and held in a $540 million pool instead of being passed back to you. The second tax would be levied against your property because he refuses to release the money he already collected from you.

We should not support policies that push the burden to local property taxes when we are sitting on huge surpluses of your tax money. Based on current projections, most, if not all, of the devastating education cuts could be restored without raising taxes.

So who will lift the burden if the Corbett budget passes? Will it be the big gas and oil companies reaping huge profits from the Marcellus Shale? No. Will it be big tobacco through funding realized by cigars and smokeless products? No. How about the companies that are headquartered in Delaware with only a post office box? No.

I wonder who is left. In Corbett’s Pennsylvania, it is working families that pay. That reality is unacceptable. To ask the taxpayers to dig in their pockets again to pay locally because the governor wants to keep your money in Harrisburg is an outrage."


Read more: http://www.centredaily.com/2011/06/07/2760432/surplus-negates-need-for-tax-increases.html#ixzz1Odcs2WUS

[Bunny]

1. Where are the teabaggers?

I can't believe they're not screaming over the government sitting on this kind of surplus, when it could be back in their pockets.
Who's organizing the March on Harrisburg?