Philadelphia City Council wants to crack down on those who owe back taxes

Philadelphia City Council is talking tough about tax delinquents.  

The Nutter administration is attempting to bring in $94 million more to the school district by assessing all properties at current values.  Councilman Curtis Jones says he wants a concerted effort to collect the outstanding tax bills.

“Some of these owners who are delinquent are nefarious for not keeping their properties up so there’s a dual reason why we need to focus on them,” said Jones.  “A: they owe us money, B: they are causing blight in the communities, and C: that blight could cause a safety hazard to citizens and first responders.”

The outstanding tax debt could range anywhere from $12 million to $28 million.  Revenue Commissioner Keith Richardson says the true outstanding tax number is unknown.

“A lot of those individuals could be in low-income payment plans, some of those individuals could be in hardship agreements where they pay $20 or $30 a month,” said Richardson.

Members of council are still concerned they will have to vote on a plan setting tax rates before the assessments are complete.