To: York City Council, York City Scool Board, The Pennsylvania State House, The Pennsylvania State Senate, and Governor Tom Wolf
Stand Against Property Taxes
We, the undersigned demand access to recall, referendum and initiative to hold our officials accountable and to control their profligate spending.
Property taxes prevent the true ownership of property and therefore violate the very spirit of property ownership in America. We deserve to own our properties outright without the ability of government to usurp the value through taxation.
We no longer accept the authority of those that impose any type of tax that prevents or tries to destroy the ability to own real property nor do we give any authority the abilty to enforce actions against our property.
Why is this important?
Property taxes in York City, York, PA have become unreasonable. The Mayor, Council and School Board are bleeding us dry and causing people to loose their homes.
The State Legislature used to fund 60% of the public school costs but they have abrogated their duties to the schools and refuse to tax entities that destroy our environment. It is the State Legislature's very mandates such as special education funding and charter schools that are at the very center of the current budget shortfall.
At the same time the State refuses to uphold the State Constitutional requirement that they preserve and protect our natural resources and instead allow unfettered free-for-all access to any and all frackers.
We the undersigned are standing as one to stop the continual increase in property taxes and the refusal by the State Legislature to fully fund our schools and eliminate school property taxes while protecting our environment and natural resources per the State Constitution.
We are also standing against an out of control Mayor and City Council that continue to spend and fund projects even when they don't have the money or proper funding and instead rely on continual property tax increases and/or public debt.
The principal limitations on whether and to what extent the state may interfere with property rights is set by the Constitution. The "Takings" clause requires that the government may take private property only for a public purpose, "after exercising due process of law, and upon making "just compensation." It does not allow for regulations that destroy value through taxation which has become so persistent and severe that they are akin to "regulatory takings."