Who Pays The Most In School Taxes?

As school districts across Pennsylvania work to determine their 2015-2016 budget, LevittownNow.com examined school district tax millage rates across Bucks County.

The four school districts that cover the Levittown area – Bristol, Bristol Township, Neshaminy and Pennsbury – have among the highest tax millage rates of all 13 districts in Bucks County, based on 2014-2015 statistics. The 2014-2015 fiscal year for districts runs through June 30, with the new budget year for all districts starting on July 1.

What is a millage rate? A millage rate is how taxes are calculated based on a percentage of total assessed property value.

Bristol Township has the highest millage rate – and the only to break the 200 mark – but a much lower average tax bill than properties in the more affluent New Hope-Solebury District, according to Bristol Township School District business manager John Steffy. The median assessed home value in the district is $17,600, with the average tax bill being $3,552.

The New Hope-Solebury School District currently has a 87.9644 millage rate, but has the highest average tax bill, which is based on assessed property value, according to court records. The median assessed home value in the district is $53,920, with the average tax bill being $4,743.

Residents in the Bristol Borough School District pay the second highest millage rate in the Levittown area. The current millage rate is 154.000, which comes down to $2,526 for the average assessed property.

Pennsbury School District residents pay an average of $4,235 based on the average assessed property. The current average assessed property value is $27,600.

Taxpayers in the Neshaminy School District end up paying $4,080 on their average assessed property. The millage rate in Neshaminy is 152.000 of the average assessed property value of $26,840.

The school boards in Bristol Township and Pennsbury are currently considering tax increases for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, while officials in Bristol Borough and Neshaminy have stated they do not plan to raise taxes for this upcoming year.

There is currently a movement in Harrisburg to reform the current property tax system that helps fund municipal and school district budgets. The legislation that is making its way through the legislature would increase the sales tax and personal income tax rates while reducing property taxes that currently fund schools.

Each district also contributes funding to the technical high school it feeds to. Districts in the lower end of Bucks County feed into the Bucks County Technical High School in Bristol Township, while districts in the central part of the county feed into the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology in Warrington and districts in the upper part of the county feed into the Upper Bucks County Technical School in Perkasie.