HARRISBURG — Mounting economic woes are driving a renewed effort to eliminate school property taxes and shift more of the burden for funding public education to state sales and income taxes.

Speakers referred to tough times facing homeowners at a Capitol rally Monday to drum up support for a proposed state constitutional amendment to phase out school property taxes over four years. The Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition, a coalition of 30 groups, organized the rally, which drew more than 100 participants.

Rep. Sam Rohrer, R-Berks, caught the sour mood as he read messages from taxpayers who didn’t make the trip to the Capitol because of high gas prices.

“Savings accounts are empty,” he said. “Oil tanks are empty. Gas and fuel prices are rocketing upward. There is simply no money left to pay the taxes or fill the oil tank.”

Three Northeast region lawmakers — Reps. David Argall, R-Tamaqua, Tim Seip, D-Schuylkill, and Merle Phillips, R-Sunbury — were in attendance.

The trio support a House bill that would replace school property taxes, the local earned income tax and so-called nuisance taxes with an expanded state sales tax that covers more consumer goods and professional services. The sales tax rate would remain at 6 percent. Food and clothing, prescription drugs and some business-related services would remain exempt from the sales tax. In addition, the state income tax rate would increase to 3.92 percent from 3.07 percent under the proposal.

As a constitutional amendment, lawmakers would need to approve the bill in two consecutive legislative sessions and statewide voters would have to ratify it before it could take effect.

The House defeated a property-tax elimination amendment last January during the most recent debate on property tax alternatives. House Democratic leaders scrapped that debate after the chamber approved an amendment eliminating property taxes only for senior citizens earning under $40,000.

At the rally, Sen. Jeff Piccola, R-Dauphin, mocked the relief provided under the first slots-funded property tax cuts, averaging $169 statewide.

“That (amount) doesn’t even come close to solving the problem,” he said.

Senior citizens are getting a lot more property tax relief under the slots earmark than the senator indicated by citing the average payment, said Chuck Ardo, spokesman for Gov. Ed Rendell.

“You can focus on the low number or the hundreds of thousands of senior citizens who have gotten significantly more property tax reduction depending upon your political perspective,” he added.

rswift@timesshamrock.com