Jun. 22, 2016
HARRISBURG – Legislation introduced by Rep. Marguerite Quinn (R-Bucks) that would offer incentives to Pennsylvanians who owe back taxes to settle their accounts with the state passed the House on Tuesday by a vote of 167 to 28.
House Bill 1888 would establish a tax amnesty program, allowing taxpayers with delinquent accounts to come forward and file tax returns in exchange for reduced fees and interest on past-due taxes.
“A large portion of taxes owed to the state have been outstanding for years,” said Quinn. “Tax amnesty is a proven way of recovering delinquent tax dollars that might otherwise go uncollected. “With a structural deficit facing our state of more than $1 billion, every tax dollar collected is one less dollar that won’t need to be raised elsewhere or transferred from a worthy program.”
The last time Pennsylvania hosted a tax amnesty program was 2010. Then, one million business and individuals with outstanding tax bills were contacted, and 60,000 took advantage of the amnesty program. During the 54-day window, more than $250 million was collected for the state treasury, far exceeding expectations. Some estimates indicate that a new amnesty program could collect as much as $150 million.
Quinn emphasized that tax amnesty is not a forgiveness of debt but a reduction in fines to encourage payment.
“Those who owe taxes would still be required to pay them,” said Quinn. “This plan would simply remove past-due charges for taxpayers who agree to bring their accounts into balance during the amnesty period. Those who do not take advantage of the opportunity could be aggressively pursued for failure to pay.”
For more information, please visit
RepQuinn.com or
Facebook.com/RepQuinn.
Representative Marguerite Quinn
143rd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Ryan Travis, 717.260.6335
rtravis@pahousegop.com
RepQuinn.net /
Facebook.com/RepQuinn