Category: LTE

Originally published at Pennsylvania Policy Center on June 12, 2025. June 12, 2025 By Marc Stier The Inquirer’s editorial endorsement of cuts to city business and wage taxes repeats three widely held but false ideas.   First, Philadelphia’s taxes do not encourage businesses to locate outside the city. Philadelphia business taxes are not based on location but on activity. Businesses that earn income and receipts in the city pay the BIRT whether they are based inside or outside Philadelphia. And businesses located inside the city do not pay the BIRT on income and receipts they earn outside it.   The one exception is for businesses that sell intangible services such as law or investment firms. The City has already enacted a law to fix this problem. It needs approval by the General Assembly, and diverse interests in Harrisburg are ready to support it.  Second, it is not true that the city is… Continue reading

Originally published at Pennsylvania Policy Center on February 9, 2025. This letter from Pennsylvania organizations was sent to all members of the PA congressional delegation on January 29, 2025. As you know, the incoming Trump administration and the Republican congressional leaders plan to extend and potentially expand the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which is set to expire at the end of 2025. We urge you to use the expiration of these provisions as an opportunity to address long-standing inequities in our tax code and to raise more revenue to meet our country’s current obligations and address critical unmet needs.  We also urge you not to reduce federal funding for the Medicaid, CHIP, and SNAP programs. No matter what we look like or where we’re from, all Pennsylvanians believe in caring for their families and community. People in our state work hard, giving our all as teachers, delivery drivers,… Continue reading