The Breakfast Club
If you’re in the greater Philadelphia area, I’ll be making an appearance on 98.1 FM (WOGL) with Ross Brittain & The Breakfast Club tomorrow, April 13, from 6:30a.m. to 8:00a.m. Yeah, it’s early. I’m hoping for coffee!
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Philly’s Revenue Policy Is Smoking
Oh Philly. It’s as if you really don’t *want* businesses to stick around. Yesterday, my colleague posted about her experience with the Philadelphia Tobacco and Tobacco-Related Tax. Didn’t know about it? She didn’t either before her husband got a notice. But if Philly Revenue has its way, it sounds like all taxpayers in the City…
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Tax & The City: Philly Tax Takes On A Life Of Its Own
On Sunday night, I got a text from a friend. It said simply, “Did you hear about the Philly blogger tax?” I hadn’t heard of such a thing and made a mental note to check the news later to see what she was talking about. Less than an hour later, I got the following message…
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Blogger-Gate: Yeah, I’m On It
I’ve received an amazing number of emails, phone calls and Twitter DMs about the infamous “blog tax” story making the rounds in Philadelphia… I am aware of it and I’m working on a story. Earlier today, I spoke with some folks at the Philly Department of Revenue. I’ll have their comments – and mine –…
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IRS Target Top Politicians In Philly
Well, Philadelphia couldn’t let Chicago have all the fun… Just days after a jury failed to convict Rod Blagojevich on 23 of 24 counts (there will be a retrial) of racketeering, conspiracy and political misconduct, Philadelphia’s politicians are making headlines on their own. On Wednesday, the FBI and the IRS raided the offices of PA…
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Philly Amnesty Nets $2 Million Payment
Who says tax amnesty doesn’t work? The cash-strapped City of Philadelphia expects to meet its goal of collecting between $25 and $30 million during its Tax Amnesty Program… and it just got a little bit closer. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the City received a single taxpayer payment of $2 million. That represents more than…
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Philadelphia Real Estate Taxes On Their Way Up
I woke up this morning to grumblings on Facebook about Philadelphia’s budget deal: a “temporary” 9.9% increase in property taxes. The “temporary” (cause who really believes it will be temporary?) increase is an effort to plug a $150 million deficit in the city’s budget. The boost was approved by City Council and Mayor Nutter is…
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What’s In A Name?
Okay, the press has me officially riled up – well, the press and Governor Rendell (D-PA). Suddenly, the tax amnesty program has everyone all fired up about scofflaws. Yep, everywhere you look – even on the amnesty ads – tax officials and the media are painting tax delinquents with a broad brush, labeling them as…
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An Inconvenient Tax: Philadelphia Premiere!
I’m off to Temple University to speak at the premiere of An Inconvenient Tax. You may recall that I was interviewed for the documentary a couple of years ago. It will be exciting to see the finished product. I’ll let you know what I think. In the meantime, check out the trailer: An Inconvenient Tax…
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Soda Survey Says Taxes Need to be Big
A study out of the Rand Corporation has concluded that “small taxes” on soda do little to reduce soft drink consumption or prevent childhood obesity. Economist Roland Sturm and his teams analyzed how more than 7,300 fifth graders ate, drank and moved. The children were asked, as part of the study, how many sodas and…