by Adam Lang
December 17, 2009

THE TAX AMNESTY first proposed by Councilwoman Joan Krajewski and City Controller Alan Butkovitz is wending its way through Council.

I publicly criticized this idea when Krajewski initially proposed it on Aug. 31 and their idea hasn't gotten any better with age. In fact, it has now added more than $12 million in costs for taxpayers.

Their plan is that if people with unpaid taxes come in and pay all of the principal, they will get fees and half of the interest waived. In other words, if you had the means to pay your taxes and you just simply chose not to, City Hall would cut you a break.

by Adam Lang
May 21, 2009

Taxes and the cost of doing business in Philadelphia are frequent topics within our city, around our city and nationally. It is nothing new for Philadelphians to be told they experience one of, if not the, highest tax burdens in the country and then don’t receive comparable services. What many residents may miss are the problems in Philadelphia that increase the cost of doing business that is not directly tied to the tax rate. I will be discussing three areas that I feel this committee should be looking into when preparing its analysis: tax burdens, regulatory processes and labor.