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Help Land Tax Win in Philadelphia 4/29/03
By Joshua Vincent
Monday, 04/28/03
(1051549880878)
Philadelphia needs you, and you need to act now. On April 29th, 2003 at 10AM, the Philadelphia City Council will hold hearings on land value taxation. As you know, land value taxation eases - for the first time ? the penalty that you pay for fixing up, building or buying property. Land taxation shifts the tax burden away from productive property owners to those who don't "do" for the community. The City Controller Jonathan Saidel has been pushing for land tax for a long time; now it?s your turn to help.
Chances are, as a homeowner, you'd pay less property tax under land tax. Land tax is one proven way of reducing property taxes without short-changing the schools and the neighborhoods. To see how land tax would affect your house, go to www.hallwatch.org. Under "Real Estate & Property Tax", you can type in your address and see what you'd save under land tax.
City, State and Federal dollars have poured into Philadelphia for years. All we have to show for it are more and more vacant lots and trashed abandoned properties, often owned by out-of-towners. Land tax makes it more expensive to hold onto those vacant lots and empty houses. Let them pay the price for trashing our city, not hard-working homeowners.
Land Tax Helps the Neighborhoods--ALL the Neighborhoods Sure, some of the city is getting popular, but what about the neighborhoods that are always left on their own? What steps can be taken now to help Olney, East Oak Lane, Grey's Ferry, Kensington, Frankford, etc., etc., etc.? The only way to save these neighborhoods for working people is to get people to want to come back in. Land taxation helps do that.
Show up April 29th at 10AM at Room 696 in City Hall and demand land tax now. Call Joan DePaul at 215-686-7389 and let her know you want to testify. Council wants to hear from you. Go to and send a Fax to the Mayor and Council demanding land tax now. While you're there, don't forget to check out your property.
Let the City Controller know you agree with him that land tax is good and you want to help. Call 215-686-6680
Let us know what we can do to help you attend or be heard. Call the Center at 215-988-9998.
Joshua Vincent
Director, CSE
1422 Chestnut Street, suite 414
Philadelphia, PA 19102