A Nutter Victory For Public Voice: Mayor Moves On Ending Tax Cuts

After Philadelphia Forward and others raised the issue, Mayor Nutter altered his proposed legislation to conform with his rhetoric and make clear that the city's successful tax-reduction program will be suspended, not ended.  Philadelphia Forward's testimony before City Council echoed private communications with administration officials in calling for legislation to make clear that tax cuts would resume when this economic crisis ends:

Philadelphia Forward understands the severe nature of the international economic crisis and its effects on the city's budget and Five-Year Financial Plan and understands the policy rationale behind making the suspension of the city's successful tax-reduction program part of an overall package of spending cuts and revenue enhancements.  But, in considering the legislation before you - bill 080854 which would end reductions to the job-killing Business Privilege Tax, and bill 080855 which would end city-funded reductions to the Wage Tax - we hope that you will make an important amendment.  While the rhetoric supporting this legislation has called for SUSPENSION of tax reductions into mid-2015, the language in both bills simply ENDS the city's tax reductions.  We hope that the legislation can be altered to show that after the suspension, tax reductions will resume and, of course, we would hope that if economic conditions improve, this legislation would be altered to resume those successful reductions even sooner.

Mayor Nutter, thank you for listening.