PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Gov. Josh Shapiro touted his proposed expansion of Pennsylvania’s property tax and rent relief program on Monday at a new senior center in Montgomery County.
More than 10,000 Montgomery County residents rely on the program, but every year, Shapiro said the number of people who qualify drops because inflation and cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security push them over the income limit.
“Every time that happens, it knocks more and more seniors out of qualifying for this program,” he said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Salem Adult Citizens Center in Roslyn. “It’s a lifeline for them. But that number has been going down.”
That income limit hasn’t changed in 17 years, but the cost of living has risen.
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The current income limit is $35,000 for homeowners and $15,000 for renters. Shapiro’s proposal would get rid of the separate income limit for renters, raising both to $45,000. It would tie the annual income limit to inflation going forward, and increase the rebate from $650 to $1,000.
The governor’s office estimates an additional cost of $139 million for expansion in the first year.
With the expansion, an estimated 175,000 more Pennsylvanians would be eligible for the program, and many of the 400,000 people who already qualify will see their rebates nearly double.
The plan does have bipartisan support, but some Republicans, including House Appropriations Minority Chairman Seth Grove, have expressed concerns over tying the income limit to inflation.