Friday, July 28, 2006

everyone wants to talk about Pittsburgh

If you did not start your day reading the USAToday.. you missed this story on local government fragmentation in New Jersey. Funny how this topic always brings in a Pittsburgh perspective with this story even quoting Jake H. down at the AI.

This story starts out by talking about the efficacy of the aero-pality known as Teeterboro, NJ, which is nothing more than a government and an airport for the most part. They have nothing on us locally where the entire municipality of S.N.P.J. was created as a means to obtain a local liquor license.

3 comments:

Amos_thePokerCat said...

What is interesting is the list of property taxes per captia. PA is in the middle of the pack at #25, with $1010. The US Average is $1086.

So, why all the hellabaloo (as opposed to the Hezbollah) about property taxes in PA? I have known about this for a while but never brought it up. I know in some communities it is really screwed up, but on average, statewide, why the big deal?

Other than our notorious over-representation of seniors (as opposed to our lack of seƱors).

C. Briem said...

property taxes are all at the local level, municipality and school district, so the state average is meaningless. Becasue PA ranks high on the proportion of public education funded locally (vice from the state) coupled with the large number of local governments we have you have effective millage rates that differ by an order of magnitude or more across the state depending on where you live.

and as you note the disproportionate number of seniors is a big factor. Pennsylvania has one of the smallest programs of homestead exepmtion for seniors which exacerbates the issue to a degree... although the last form of the property tax 'reform' was aimed mostly at seniors.

Amos_thePokerCat said...

Actually, there is nothing in the list that says it is only "state property tax", and not the average total property tax, which would include local, muni, and school, which I think at least local, and school are part of every property tax in the country. I am not aware of one place in the country that does not have a local property tax.