Pennsylvania Act 131 of 2014 authorized the City of Philadelphia to levy a cigarette tax of 10 cents per cigarette to help fund operations of their schools.

In August 2016, Pennsylvania’s state cigarette tax jumped from $1.60 to $2.60 per pack. That’s on top of a $2-per-pack tax levied by Philadelphia. As soon as state lawmakers started mulling a change to Pennsylvania’s cigarette tax, school district officials in Philadelphia began to worry.

In 2015 the city collected about $58 million from its city cigarette tax. If the new state tax caused fewer Philadelphians to smoke — or convinced more of them to purchase their smokes illegally — the city’s cigarette tax would become less lucrative. City and district officials estimated that the state’s $1-a-pack increase would cost the school district between $4 million and $6 million, or about 10 percent of what it collects annually from the city tax.

To relieve those concerns, state lawmakers tucked a “hold-harmless” clause into the state budget. According to the clause, if the city’s cigarette tax generates less than $58 million next year, the state will make up the difference.

Well it’s happened already. Earlier this month, the Philadelphia City Controller’s Office projected that they would collect about $49 million in cigarette tax for the fiscal year. This means the state will have to pay the school district $9 million of tax dollars. Or, put another way, every Pennsylvania taxpayer is now being forced to pay for the operation of Philly schools. And this will occur every year from now on that the city falls short of the state guaranteed $58 million of revenue.

I can barely afford to pay my own school taxes, let alone Philadelphia’s too. I’m sure very few people know of this outrageous act done by our state politicians. It is contemptible and obscene and needs to be shouted from the rooftops until it is corrected. I believe Philadelphia should pay for its own schools, just like every other school district in the state. If you agree, let your state representatives know how you feel.