Phila. councilman proposes 12% property-tax hike

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

After skirting the prickly issue of property taxes for two decades, City Council is officially contemplating a 12 percent property-tax hike as a way to balance the budget.

Unhappy with Mayor Nutter's proposed $300 trash fee, City Councilman Frank DiCicco yesterday proposed a 12.1 percent increase in property-tax bills to replace it, even though the city's property assessments are, by all accounts, a mess.

Whether the plan will have enough Council votes is unclear as members weigh the political ramifications of a number of unpopular budget options.

In his budget address March 4, Nutter proposed the trash fee and a 2-cent-per-ounce tax on sweet drinks as a way to fill an estimated $150 million hole in his proposed $3.9 billion 2010-11 budget.

Great moments in Blue America. The Philadelphia Democrats want taxpayers to cut their budgets to pay for the overpaid and corrupt Philadelphia governmental workforce.