More Taxes On the Way For City Budget
by Alex Lloyd Gross
You will pay more for things if Mayor Cherelle Parker has her way. More taxes for the things you use and buy. It’s all been unveiled in the proposed city budget.
You will pay 20 cents per ride for ride share companies like UBER or LYFT. According to Parker, this tax should generate $9.6 million and it all goes to the school district.
Cell phone towers will also get an additional tax. That money is most definitely getting passed on to users. Cell phone providers are not going to eat this tax modification.
$3.3 million is going to the new small and local business program. That after the US Supreme court struck down the diversity loophole that pushed money to DEI business owners.
When you buy something online, and live in the city, that seller will charge you two percent sales tax, to push the city tax up to 8 percent. That that tax was pushed through over a decade ago, it was supposed to be a temporary stop gap to fund schools and education.
Big dreams are coming for the stadium complex, which currently does about 300 events a year, from concerts, to sporting events. Parkers has called on owners of the Phillies, Eagles and Comcast to rebrand that area as an entertainment district. That means reduced parking, increased traffic and higher fees to park in that area.
This all must be approved by city council. That along with a proposed continuation of the “Zero Fare program for low income rides. An additional $10, million to provide free SEPTA service for city workers. Parker also wants to spend $7.1 million on a pothole squad, to fix potholes on city streets.
This budget has been named One Philly, a United City and One Philly 2.0