Each week, the Sun-Gazette will feature responses from candidates running for state offices on issues pertinent to Lycoming County voters leading up to the primary election on June 2.

The candidates are: 23rd Senate, Gene Yaw (incumbent), Republican, and Jackie Baker, Democrat; 83rd House, Jeff Wheeland (incumbent), Republican, and Airneezer Page, Democrat; 84th House, Republicans Mike Dincher, Joe Hamm and David Hines, and Democrat Amanda Waldman.

Question: Are you in favor of property tax reform? Why or why not?

Yaw: “It depends on what the definition of property tax reform is. For a lot of people, it means your taxes go up and mine go down. As far as support for a general elimination of property taxes, I can’t support it because it would require at least a 60 percent increase in the personal income tax. That would go on the backs of working families. That is not the right way to go.”

Baker: “Yes. I am in favor of reform because property taxes just keep increasing and increasing and school district money comes from property taxes. It’s hard to fund schools properly with property taxes. We don’t want to keep burdening our hardworking property owners. I have heard from many people who say, ‘Please don’t tax us further.’ We have many elderly and retired citizens. I just don’t see it to be vital in the future for funding things, especially school districts, and I have been a public school teacher.”

Wheeland: “Yes. I am in favor of property tax reform. I believe it’s an outdated form of taxation on homesteads and farmsteads. It’s un unfair tax because your property does not generate income as opposed to commercial property that does. Residential property owners are unfairly taxed by an outdated system. For school property taxes there should be reform, but not for municipalities and counties.”

Page: “I am in favor of some property tax legislation that will ease the burden on the elderly. They are on a fixed income. It’s heartbreaking to see them struggle and them having to decide how to pay for food, rent and medications.”

Dincher: “Absolutely. One reason is that property taxes are hard on retired folks. They get by on a set income and taxes just keep going up and up. In Jersey Shore School District, where I live, taxes go above the index. But courts rubber-stamp it. I’d rather just take taxes from income. Our county taxes are high. Positions such as the district attorney and commissioner are highly paid.”

Hamm: “Yes. I am in favor of property tax reform and elimination of those taxes. I am in favor because property owners who work all their lives and live the American dream lose their homes due to ever-growing property taxes.”

Hines: “Yes. Out of all the people I’ve talked to, especially the senior citizens, folks are getting taxed right out of their homes. They are on fixed incomes. We just can’t keep raising taxes every year and expect them to stay in their homes.”

Waldman: “I am in favor of property tax reform. There are a number of ways of reforming property tax. I live in the East Lycoming School District and we just raised taxes again. We are not in a wealthy district that can keep raising property taxes. The elderly and those on fixed incomes are being taxed out of their homes.”

Question: What other revenue sources could be used to raise money for school districts, counties and municipalities?

Yaw: “There could maybe be a different emphasis on sales taxes. The problem is sales taxes work better as revenue sources in metropolitan areas. I am worried about rural Pennsylvania. One solution I had for property tax reform is to have all school budgets approved by the voters.”

Baker: “In Pennsylvania, we seem to have a very unfair tax system. The wealthy and biggest corporations pay less than their fair share. If we could fix this unfair system and have corporations pay their fair share, we could fix it. We are the only state that doesn’t take extra revenue from natural gas drilling. They need to pay their fair share as well.”

Wheeland: “Well, it’s a smorgasbord, and it’s dependent upon the geographical area of the state. It could be an earned income tax credit. It could be an additional sales tax. You must allow the ability to tax through a menu of options. A sales tax, for example, doesn’t work as well in Sullivan County as it would in Philadelphia.”

Page: “I am in support of the natural gas impact fee in addition to a severance tax. It is estimated that a modest tax on the gas industry could raise a significant amount of revenue. Closing the ‘Delaware loophole’ is another option. I believe if we get the right people to the table we could come up with the right solution on increasing revenue for the state of Pennsylvania.”

Dincher: “In South Carolina, vehicles are taxed. That would reduce the tax burden on senior citizens. They generally have just one car. It would mean those people who don’t own property would pay as well. I’d like to look into something like that. Our fuel taxes are the highest in the country, and where is that money going? Maybe we take what is already there and give it to the schools. Of course, we don’t want to open a can of worms by taxing vehicles and then not do anything about property taxes.”

Hamm: “I believe we need to look at the tax revenues we collect today. We have many options, and I think we need to look at those revenues and decide where we can find funding for our school districts. There was a study done in the early 2000s that concluded if we simply increased the sales tax that would make up the difference. While I’m not advocating for any additional taxes, I believe we must relieve our property owners and find ways to sufficiently fund our school districts.”

Hines: “I’m not in favor of any new taxes at all. We are taxed to death. I would move money from one fund to another, but not raise taxes. Perhaps look at cuts in the state budget.”

Waldman: “There is the often-talked-about ‘Delaware loophole.’ Legislation to close that loophole would benefit our schools. Gov. Rendell pushed for property tax relief through use of gambling revenues. That could have helped. Where did that money go?”