Burns: Lower property taxes with bulk of $800 million surplus
Legislator’s bill departs from governor’s preference
Rep. Frank Burns June 19, 2019
HARRISBURG, June 19 – In a significant departure from the path favored by Gov. Tom Wolf, state Rep. Frank Burns has introduced legislation that would use most of the $800 million budget surplus – the highest amount in recent years - for property tax relief, instead of further padding the Rainy Day Fund.
Burns, D-Cambria, said that while his H.B. 1663 may not be popular in some Harrisburg circles, he’d rather immediately address one of peoples’ chief complaints than tuck such a huge sum of money away for political leaders’ future use.
“In Cambria County and across Pennsylvania, one of the big concerns of the people who pay the bills is high property taxes,” Burns said. “They have our collective ear on this issue – but the difference is, I’m listening and taking action.”
Burns said that with 25 percent of this year’s budget surplus already going to the Rainy Day Fund, per legislative mandate, it’s a better idea to direct anything above that toward reducing onerous school property taxes that cause financial pain for many households.
“If in bad financial times, we ask our residents to pay more, then in good financial times, we should let them pay a little less,” Burns said. “My plan would deposit a chunk of any state budget surplus into the Property Tax Relief Fund, so that residents’ property tax or rent rebate checks can be a little bigger.”
Burns added that he’d much rather give some money back to taxpayers right now than sock it all away in the Rainy Day Fund, where it will tempt those lawmakers who salivate at any chance to justify spending a big chunk of government cash.
“Just remember this: The legislature can raid that fund anytime it needs more money,” Burns said. “As a fiscal conservative, I want to remove that temptation and ability from the get-go.”
Earlier this month, the Department of Revenue announced the state’s General Fund stands at $813.3 million ahead of projections for the fiscal year that ends June 30.
Wolf favors putting the entire budget surplus into the Rainy Day Fund, which Burns vigorously opposes.