Pew Report: Philadelphians Wary About City's New Property Tax System
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)-- A report from the Pew Charitable Trusts says Philadelphians are 'wary' about the city's new "AVI" property tax system.
Just over half of the respondents to the poll knew about the long-debated Actual Value Initiative, and those who were aware of it believe AVI would make real estate taxes 'less fair, rather than more equitable' by a margin of 44-to-26 percent.
The director of the Pew Philadelphia program, Larry Eichel says it's possible people may feel differently once they get their tax bills in December.
"They don't know much about it, and they're skeptical."
It's the third component of the same poll, the results from which Pew previously reported on public education and the overall mood of the city.
"People just have a sour mood about the city and city government at the moment. I think that the school situation has a lot to do with that," Eichel says.
As for the future of city taxation, by a more than a 2-1 margin, folks favor reducing wage and business taxes. By the same margin, they oppose the idea of raising property taxes to help make up for budget gaps.
To read the Philly Taxes Poll Brief, click here.
