Bill Gamble – 1/1/06

This page was last updated on January 3, 2006.

State needs real tax reform; Bill Gamble - West Allegheny School Board; Beaver County Times; January 1, 2006.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“The word out of Harrisburg is not good. We continue to hear about Band-Aid approaches to tax reform in Pennsylvania.

“We are hearing about a watered-down version of a failed Act 72 of 2004. We are also hearing about a glorified version of a confusing failed Act 50 of 1998. What we are not hearing is what we should be hearing from our legislative leaders. That is, Pennsylvania’s most important issue today - comprehensive tax reform.

“We are not hearing about a comprehensive plan to eliminate real estate taxes to fund education in Pennsylvania. We are not hearing about a plan that will allow our homeowners, especially those on fixed incomes, to keep their homes and property, without the threat of losing one of their most valued possessions because of the increasing cost of real estate taxes to fund education.

“In the past, our legislative leaders have failed state residents by decreasing state funding for education, knowing full well that increases in real estate taxes were the only means to address the rising costs of funding education in Pennsylvania.

“It is time for our legislators to right a wrong, to stand up and be counted, and fix an inequitable education funding system. We don’t need another Band-Aid or failed referendum system, but a true comprehensive tax reform package that does not rely on real estate taxes to fund education in Pennsylvania.”

[RWC] This is a rehash of Mr. Gamble’s letter of July 7, 2005.

This is my conclusion from that critique: “Here’s the bottom line. Mr. Gamble wants to spend as much as he wants but doesn’t want the responsibility of justifying the taxes required to support that profligate spending. If Mr. Gamble is to be intellectually honest, he should also support elimination of local school boards if he wants to eliminate local taxes to support public schools. I doubt we’ll hear Mr. Gamble make that suggestion.”