March 30th, 2018
30
Mar
Should You Challenge Your Property Tax Assessment in Pennsylvania?
Homeowners in Pennsylvania must pay property tax each year to the local taxing authorities. The date when payment is due varies, depending on the county where you live. And some counties allow you to make installment payments. Opening your tax bill can be a cause for shock, if not outrage. But by learning how property taxes are computed in Pennsylvania,
30
Mar
Think property taxes are going away in Pennsylvania? Think again
The earliest known property tax records were kept on clay tablets. Now some Pennsylvania lawmakers and grassroots groups — along with a majority of voters who approved a constitutional amendment on Election Day — want to go against about 8,000 years of history and eliminate a tax that today is a primary means of paying for schools and local government.
30
Mar
Reform, but don’t repeal property tax
Eliminating school property taxes is one of those ideas that sounds far better than it would work in practice. There is no doubt that Pennsylvania relies far too heavily on local property taxes to fund public education. But fully eliminating the property tax would not resolve the underlying issue: how best to fully and fairly fund public schools. State Sen.
30
Mar
Pennsylvania law allows owners of large homes on sprawling estates to reap lower taxes
The sprawling Bushkill Township estate of auto racing legend Mario Andretti has plenty of features that distinguish him from the runners up of life. His stately Italian villa is 22,000 square feet, with 15 bathrooms, an underground wine cellar that can hold more than 5,500 bottles, and a striking red clay roof specially imported from England. The grounds offer a
30
Mar
Philadelphia Mayor to Seek Property Tax Hike to Help Schools
Philadelphia’s mayor is expected to ask the city council to pass a 6 percent increase in property taxes to help erase a nearly $1 billion chronic budget deficit plaguing the city’s public schools. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia’s mayor is expected to ask the city council to pass a 6 percent increase in property taxes to help erase a nearly $1
30
Mar
How much have your property taxes increased in the last decade?
Thomas Micozzie’s already considerable tax bill just increased about $50 on his two-story house, valued at about $130,000, in the Westbrook Park section of Upper Darby Township. The latest bump hits home to Micozzie in particular: He signed off on it. He is the mayor of the region’s largest municipality outside of Philadelphia, and Upper Darby is one of more than
30
Mar
Are you one of more than 200,000 people paying too much in property taxes?
The house on Massachusetts Avenue in Upper Darby had been sitting on the market for a while when Tim Miles and his wife bought it for $185,000 last year. Miles said the Realtor told him why other prospective buyers had been wary: “The taxes were really high,” said Miles, 28, a lawyer. “And I think that’s probably why they weren’t