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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Melissa
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State Rep. Cherelle L.
Parker |
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Parker, Philadelphia Working Group to reintroduce tax reform package
PHILADELPHIA, March 29 – State Rep. Cherelle L. Parker, D-Phila., and other state representatives from the Philadelphia Working Group will reintroduce a legislative package of measures on local tax relief and tax reforms for the city of Philadelphia.
Parker said the working group has supported the passage of five measures, all of which were introduced last session and were a result of the special session held on local tax reform. Over the course of the year, changes and revisions have been made to further refine and enhance the bills, and Parker said she is hopeful the legislature will take a serious look at the proposals.
“The bills we are reintroducing will provide the city of Philadelphia with a menu of options for local tax reforms because the issues facing our communities are different than those in other cities across the state,” Parker said. “Philadelphia is the only Pennsylvania city in the first-class population category and is one of the largest cities in the nation. We have unique challenges that need unique solutions, and the measures we are proposing will help us achieve these goals.”
The proposed measures would:
o Grant Philadelphia the authority to implement a homestead exclusion to provide property tax relief to homeowners -- current law prohibits the city from implementing a homestead exclusion program.
o Provide Philadelphia with the option to expand the Act 91 program to include people with disabilities. Act 91 currently allows Philadelphia to provide property tax for low-income seniors.
o Expand the definition of “low-income taxpayer” under Act 91 by using the PACENET eligibility definition, which would provide roughly 7,800 additional households with property tax relief.
o Grant Philadelphia the authority to phase in the Full Value Project over a six-year period. Currently, this project is expected to be fully implemented by 2008.
o Provide Philadelphia the option of implementing a property tax deferral program under Act 146 that would take age and financial need into account. Current law only permits second-class cities to implement a program taking these characteristics into consideration.
“The measures we are proposing would help thousands upon thousands of low-income Philadelphians receive meaningful tax relief and put more money back into their pockets,” Parker said.
The Philadelphia Working Group was established in 2005 and charged with crafting local tax relief and tax reform tools for the city.
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