AARP Pennsylvania Applauds Property Tax Rent Rebate Program Expansion

For Immediate Release: August 4, 2023

MEDIA CONTACT: TJ Thiessen | tthiessen@aarp.org | (202) 374-8033

AARP Pennsylvania State Director Bill Johnston-Walsh issued the following statement:

“After years of advocacy on behalf of Pennsylvanians 50 and older, AARP Pennsylvania’s State Advocacy Director Teresa Osborne was present as Governor Josh Shapiro signed House Bill 1100 into law at the United Neighborhood Center’s Healthy Aging Campus in Scranton, Lackawanna County.

AARP commends the Pennsylvania General Assembly for supporting Governor Shapiro’s proposal to amend the taxpayer relief act, which modernizes the Commonwealth’s Property Tax Rent Rebate Program.

Since the Property Tax Rent Rebate Program’s inception in 1971, more than $8 billion in property tax and rent relief has been delivered to older Pennsylvanians and adults with disabilities, among those most burdened by their property tax bills and rent payments.

With the program’s tax and rent rebate formula not being updated in 17 years, the passage of House Bill 1100 and Governor Shapiro’s signing of the bill into law, the maximum rebate will go from $650 to $1,000 and raise the income cap to $45,000, tying it to the consumer price index.

AARP’s mission is to empower people to choose how they live as they age, and an important part of choosing how we live is being able to decide where we live. The Property Tax Rent Rebate Program has been a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians. With this expansion, hundreds of thousands more older Pennsylvanians will be able to remain in their homes and communities – where they want to be.

AARP Pennsylvania will never stop fighting for all Pennsylvanians' health and financial security. We look forward to continued work with the Governor and the General Assembly to ensure a better Pennsylvania for everyone.”

###

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families, focusing on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit  www.aarp.org  or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.