News: Upper Dublin votes in favor of EIT question on May 15 ballot

Late Monday night the Upper Dublin School Board voted in favor of asking residents if they would like to increase the earned income tax in order to cut property taxes as the referendum ballot question in the May 15 primary.

The ballot question, required under Act 1, will asks residents it they favor imposing an additional 1 percent earned income tax and using the revenue from the increased tax to reduce taxes on qualified residential properties by an estimated $587 for the 2007-2008 school year and an estimated $903 in the years to follow.

"The state Legislature required every school district [with the exception of Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Scranton] to let their voters decide as to whether they'd like to shift from property tax to earned income tax," board President Michael Paston said.

Members of the board stressed that the tax shifting question is completely unrelated to the upcoming special election.

"What we're doing tonight has nothing to do with the new high school," board member Art Levinowitz said.

The board also emphasized that its vote to submit the question is in no way an implication of its endorsement of the tax shift.

"We are required by the state to pose a question," board Vice President Joseph Chmielewski said. "This is not something that we necessarily want to see happen."

Board member Michael Resnick was the only member to vote against the referendum question.

"I think this is an unfair shift," Resnick said. "I'm going to vote against it because it's not fair."

Residents who vote in favor of the referendum question will be voting to increase the earned income tax from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent, meaning that the combined earned income tax imposed by the School District of Upper Dublin and Upper Dublin Township will increase to 2 percent. Residents who vote against the referendum question are voting for the earned income tax to remain at 1 percent.

"If you're a renter, it's awful," Paston said. "The lower your earned income tax, the better this is for you."

The next school board meeting is scheduled for April 9.