Title
Authorizing the reconvening of the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission and its Advisory Committee to conduct an updated comprehensive analysis of all taxes imposed in the City of Philadelphia, and to make recommendations concerning tax reforms that support the City's economic growth and competitiveness.
Body
WHEREAS, the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission was established in 2002 pursuant to Resolution 020264 which provided that the Commission consist of community and business leaders, the various local chambers of commerce, institutions of higher education, and trade organizations; and
WHEREAS, the Commission was established for the purpose of conducting a comprehensive analysis of, and make recommendations concerning, reforms to the tax structure and all taxes imposed in Philadelphia by the City and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, the Commission's analysis and recommendations addressed the wage tax, the business privilege tax, the net profits tax, the gross receipts tax, the amusement tax, the use and occupancy tax, the real property tax, the school income tax, the real estate transfer tax, the liquor-by-the-drink tax, the parking tax, the Philadelphia sales tax, the hotel bed tax and any other taxes imposed by the City and by the School District, as well as real estate tax abatements, tax increment finance districts, Empowerment Zones, Keystone Opportunity Zones, and any other programs that use tax abatements or exemptions as economic development tools; and
WHEREAS, the Tax Reform Commission was charged with analyzing each tax to determine why it is imposed, how much revenue the tax generates, the impact of the tax on businesses or residents and the Philadelphia economy, whether it may be eliminated or consolidated with another tax or otherwise simplified, and whether and to what extent the rate of the tax may be decreased in a fiscally and socially responsible manner; and
WHEREAS, the Tax Reform Commission compared and contrasted t...
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