Council Rock keeps occupational tax

BUCKS COUNTY

Council Rock keeps occupational tax

COUNCIL ROCK The Council Rock School District will remain one of only three in Philadelphia's Pennsylvania suburbs to still levy an occupational assessment tax.

Voters on Tuesday shot down a ballot measure that would have eliminated that tax and increased the earned income tax to make up for lost revenue.

The occupational assessment tax is based on what residents do for a living, not how much they make, and ranges from $40 to $300 a year depending on the job. Counties assess roughly 500 jobs, from "cesspool cleaner" to "lawyer."

The Phoenixville Area School District in Chester County and the Pottstown School District in Montgomery County are the two other districts that still levy the tax, according to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

The tax has fallen out of favor over the years because of concerns about fairness and accuracy, the PSBA said.

- Ben Finley