Welcome To Tax-adelphia
By Wyatt Earp | June 4, 2009
Do you remember all of the good things I write about my hometown? You know, about how it’s a terrific place to live and work (usually), and how it’s a bastion of historical goodness.
Yeah, well I take it all back. The frakkin’ Democrats have officially ruined this town for me . . . by making us the highest-taxed city in America. Frak you very much!
Mayor Nutter, for example, seeks legislative authority to raise the city sales tax from 7 percent to 8 percent starting Aug. 1.
Without it, says Nutter, the city faces “massive layoffs” and closure of some city departments; and without it, by Aug. 1, “we will have to start ratcheting back.”
Except the “we” in that sentence doesn’t mean our inept city council, our illustrious mayor or his Democrat cronies. What are you gonna do, Mike? Close some fire stations???
(For those of you new here, Nutter already closed seven fire companies.)
The bad news is that Philly already leads the nation in total tax burden, mostly because so many local and state taxes are flat or regressive.
An annual survey by Washington’s Office of Revenue Analysis - mandated by Congress to measure state and local tax burden in the largest city in every state - Philly ranks first.
City Finance Director Rob Dubow said in a written statement yesterday: “Yes, when considering all tax revenue, Philadelphia is the highest-taxed city in the country.” (H/T - Philly.com)
Okay, I admit it: I’ve got nuthin’ . . . except a massive brain aneurysm.
The best part is that the idiot voters and the union thugs will just elect another Democrat mayor in two years. This town is doomed.
Topics: Philly |
June 4th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Hmmm… so what happens when Philly goes bankrupt? Do they get a do over?
June 4th, 2009 at 11:16 am
I have a great idea!
How about collecting back taxes from all of the deadbeats in this town? How about before you close firehouses, layoff vital city employees (city council being the exception), and raise the sales tax - you aggressively collect all the back taxes? There are loads of people in this city who have ignored their real estate tax bills for years. And why? Because they could.
It reminds me of when PGW wanted to bill their customers something like $80 a year, to compensate for the customers who didn’t pay their bills.
It’s what I call “Punishing the Good Kids and Rewarding the Bad.”
June 4th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Old NFO - No, silly! We’ll get an Obama bailout!
Mrs. Crankipants - Yeah, and that is the spirit of Philadelphia.
June 4th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
8% sales tax…..wow….I would LOVE to only have to pay 8%……
It is 9.25 here in LA…..goes up to 9.75 July 1st, thanks to the idiot voters that voted in the 1/2 cent increase for the ‘Subway to Nowhere’…..
June 4th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Deputy Polarbear - Yeah, but we get royally fisted with all of the other taxes. City Wage and Real Estate is ridiculous.
June 4th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
The one that gets me Wyatt is the city spends more fto provide free legal services to criminals than it spends on the district attorneys office.
To me, that is a litmus test- it proves Mayor Nutter is a bleeding heart dumb libtard. The city is doomed until it stops electing these liberal apologists.
June 4th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I know you can’t compare but in the UK “sales tax” or VAT is 15% (will be going back up to 17.5 % soon). That’s on everything unless it is specifically excluded. Including services. Including petrol (gas) where we have VAT on the tax that the Government already applies.
Gas close to £1 per litre or around £4.50 per UK gallon.
June 4th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Does Philly have what I call the ‘work privilege’ tax like Pittsburgh?
Its a tax on everybody who works in the city limits because its such a privilege to work there (irregardless of where you actually live).
I like the school tax myself, get to pay more than 4k a year to a mediocre school district that is about to go bankrupt.
June 4th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
We had one mayor propose closing the art museum a couple of days a week to save paying the guards minimum wage, when the museum pulled in more than the sports venues.
How much would it take for some
blood-sucking weaselcivic minded citizen to opine as how modern street lights are so efficient that we could get away with having half of them turned off and still have enough light to see by?Dano;
I think it’s called a business privilege tax.
June 4th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
AJ - So basically, we’re doomed for all eternity.
Alan B - Wow, worse than the U.S.
Dano - We do, indeed. It’s why business fee here like the city has the plague.
Lergnom - Now that’s an idea whose time has come! More chances to get robbed by (shut-off) street light!
June 4th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Lergnom : Business privilege tax implies that companies pay it, not the employees. I (and everyone else) pay ~$50 a year for the privilege of working within Pittsburgh city limits.
June 5th, 2009 at 4:18 am
Alan B - Wow, worse than the U.S.
Tell me about it …
June 5th, 2009 at 9:35 am
BURBS!!!!!!