Voters Reject Tax Shift Referendum

Voters in the Council Rock School District rejected a referendum question that would have eliminated the occupation tax by increasing the earned income tax from 1 percent to 1.17 percent.

The school board put the question to the voters because officials said the occupation tax is outdated and a nuisance to collect.

According to unofficial results from the county, 57 percent of Council Rock School District voters who turned out rejected the question. 

The exact wording of the question was: “Do you favor eliminating the occupation tax by increasing the maximum rate of the earned income tax from 1 percent to 1.17 percent with the requirement that the increase be used to eliminate the occupation tax?” 

Here is the vote tally:

No: 8,456

Yes: 6,320