10/29/02 Tax Reform Compact (Josh Sevin <jsevin@hotmail.com>, Young Involved Philadelphians)

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Tax Reform Compact
By Josh Sevin <jsevin@hotmail.com>, Young Involved Philadelphians Tuesday, 10/29/02 (compact)

Read about the duties and composition of the Tax Reform Commission.

"We want a Commission that's on a mission."

What We Expect:

That elected officials and civic leaders will meaningfully commit themselves to participating in the tax reform commission process and will work toward achieving consensus on tax reform.
That the Commission and its Advisory Committee will go beyond tax reform analysis and proposals to substantive negotiations and consensus building.
That the Commission will produce a final report with concrete, significant, and implementable reforms.
That local elected officials and Commission members will maintain an honest dialogue with members of the General Assembly as Harrisburg explores statewide tax reform.
That the public will hold elected officials and Commission members accountable to deliver meaningful tax reform.

What this means for:

The Mayor - substantive, high-level investment in the Tax Reform Commission and acknowledgment that tax reform is key to the long-term prosperity of the City.
City Council - a commitment to put aside political differences and legislate toward agreement.
The City Controller - harnessing the knowledge developed through his extensive analysis of Philadelphia's tax structure to help build consensus around progressive reforms.
Civic leaders - closely monitoring the Commission's activities and recommendations while keeping an open mind about proposed reforms.

To support the compact or for more information,
contact Josh Sevin at (215) 769-3323 or jsevin@hotmail.com

Amid growing concerns about the City's wage, property, and business taxes, Philadelphians will vote this Election Day on whether to establish a tax reform commission. In order to ensure that such a commission will be effective, Young Involved Philadelphia and other members of last spring's tax reform coalition have put together the following compact for elected officials, commission members, and civic leaders to endorse. The aim is to establish public expectations and an accountability framework for the commission to succeed and not become a dead-letter office.