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Archive for “Taxes” news
MAP: This Is How Much You’re Paying in Property Taxes Next Year
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 6/14/2013
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Yesterday, the city finalized the rate at which they'll be taxing your AVI'd property starting in 2014. So the dataheads over at Axis Philly have done us all a favor and finalized their map detailing exactly how much you'll pay in taxes next year. Below, a glance at the map (red=higher taxes; blue=lower taxes).
To provide a sense for how much taxes will go up, I picked a parcel in one of the neighborhoods that'll be taxed the highest--Graduate Hospital--that exhibited a salmon pink color on the map. It wasn't at either end of the taxation extreme, in other words. Checking
Guess How Much Money We Still Owe for Building Veterans Stadium
By Andrew Thompson 6/14/2013
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For its first 10 years, Veterans Stadium was, as its architect called it, the “Crown Jewel of Philadelphia”—hyperbole, perhaps, but at least it could stand as the crown jewel of Pattison Avenue. Then, as stadiums do, the Vet became stale, yesterday’s state-of-the-art, and insufficient to the demands of the Phillies, Eagles, and their fans. Thirty-two years after it was constructed, the Vet was demolished, relegated to nostalgia and perpetually written about as a place people associated with “fond memories.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgbaQLWVA9c
But the wistful can find comfort here: The Vet is still very much alive—on the city’s debt service list.
Nearly 50 years after
When It Comes to Collecting Back Property Taxes, Does Philly Have Hope?
By Andrew Thompson 6/10/2013
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In March, the Inquirer’s data-laden, three-part series on tax delinquency, by Patrick Kerkstra, essentially reaffirmed much of what we learned from Kerkstra’s data-laden Inquirer series on tax delinquency in 2011: Philadelphia has more delinquent parcels for its size than any major city in the country, and subpar collection efforts haven't helped.
The big reveal on day two of Kerkstra’s second series, though, wasn’t that upwards of 100,000 properties are in arrears on property taxes. It was that 57,500 of those delinquent properties are owned by private developers and property speculators—not low-income owner-occupiers. (Low-income homeowners accounted for only 21 percent of the delinquencies.) As Kerkstra put it, “The findings run counter to the long-standing assumption of many city political leaders that the delinquency rolls are dominated by low-income owner-occupants, a belief that has helped to undermine rigorous enforcement.”
Don’t Blame Philly for Being So Small-Business Unfriendly
By Gene Marks 6/06/2013
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I must apologize to the City of Philadelphia. Just this week, a new survey put Philadelphia #27 out of 30 cities as “friendly” for small-business employees. Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Cleveland actually ranked higher than us. Can you believe that? Cleveland! It’s better to work for a small business in … Cleveland … than in Philadelphia. Hard to believe, but true.
Hard to believe because, as much fun as I poke at our city, it really is a great place to work for a small business. Sure, there’s a high level of crime, our transit system is bankrupt, our schools are falling apart, and since 1970, Philly has lost 25 percent of its jobs even as Boston, NYC and D.C. grew, which many blame on our excessive income and property taxes. So I can understand why some may feel that Philly isn’t the best place to work.
How Small-Business Unfriendly Is Philadelphia?
By Brian Howard 6/04/2013
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Paying taxes this year made me understand the nut jobs in the Tea Party.
A recent study shows that Philadelphia is about as hospitable to small businesses as porcupines are to cuddling. While CardHub’s analysis cited Philly’s small business vitality, unemployment, stress and cost of living among its reasons for naming Philly the fourth worst of the United States’ 30 largest metropolitan areas, I’ve got my own axe to grind. In 2012, although I have a full-time job, I also filed taxes as a small business on account of my modest but burgeoning freelance earnings.
The City of Philadelphia has made me question whether hustling for extra assignments and paychecks is worth the effort—the exact opposite of the enterprising, entrepreneurial spirit so cherished in these days when startups are cooler than bands.
Tax Delinquent Charter Schools Owe $762K to School District
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 5/30/2013
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Part of the mayor's strategy for funding the school district's $300 million budget shortfall is increased delinquent tax collection, particularly on deadbeat property owners. Ironic, then, that 13 of the school's alternative and charter schools haven't been paying their taxes. While the School Reform Commission now forbids tax-delinquents from contracting with the school district, it exempts charters from that rule. City Paper's Ryan Briggs notes that the $762,000 charters and their landlords owe equals roughly the salary of 17 first-year teachers, but that number might only be the tip of the iceberg.
That’s just the back taxes on properties directly leased by school
What’s Worse? Boring Mayor Nutter or Tax-Happy Mayor Nutter?
By Chris Freind 5/23/2013
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I swore I was done. I promised I would never waste another column writing about how pathetic Philadelphia is. And how its complacent residents and businessmen get exactly what they deserve. Washing my hands of all things Philly, I pledged to never again comment on Michael Nutter, who is, without a doubt, America’s most clueless and excruciatingly boring mayor.
But I failed.
It is simply impossible not to rip into Tweedledee's latest efforts to drive the final stake into the heart of a once-great city by trying to impose, yes, more taxes! But this isn’t a column about how astronomical taxes actually decrease revenue and further a city’s demise. Michael Nutter has never, nor will ever, understand that, so why bother?
It’s much more fun to look at Mayor’s “legacy” to date and marvel about how bad he really is.
Forget the Tea Party. The IRS Should Target Whole Foods Customers
By Gene Marks 5/16/2013
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I am so angry! I was reading this week how the Internal Revenue Service was found to be targeting certain conservative groups. C’mon guys, you’ve got some serious power at your disposal. You can make people’s lives miserable just by putting them on a list, and you’re wasting your time targeting the Tea Party? Really? Those guys don’t have any real influence.
But feel free to continue your targeting! We know you’ve been doing it for years now, so why hide anymore? Tell the public you’re providing a service and target the following.
Eagles’ Evan Mathis Pisses on the IRS (Literally)
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 5/16/2013
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Long before news broke this week that our federally appointed taxmen were monitoring tea party groups extra close, the Internal Revenue Service has always been America's least favorite government agency. Remember that guy who flew his plane into an IRS. building in Texas three years ago?
Now Eagles Offensive Lineman Evan Mathis has left his own, ahem, mark on the storied history of IRS-bashing. Not to mention the IRS itself. As he so succinctly put it, "Audit this."
Before Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless debate this controversy for the next week, let me point out that there is no evidence
Mayor Nutter’s New School Aid Plan Will Make Drinking, Smoking More Expensive
By Joel Mathis 5/15/2013
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CBS Philly reports:
Mayor Michael Nutter today announced a funding package that will give the School District of Philadelphia an additional $95 million in the next fiscal year, even more than the $60 million the school district had requested from the city to fill its latest budget hole (see related story).
The mayor says the package includes an increase in the liquor-by-the-drink tax from 10 percent to 15 percent, effective July 1st. That is expected to raise $22 million.
In addition, the city is adding an additional tax of $2 per pack of cigarettes, over and above the city and state taxes currently placed on tobacco
