Citizens voice concerns about property tax hike uncertainties

As you read this, city tax assessors are prowling Philadelphia’s streets, taking notes on how many bedrooms and bathrooms each house has and what those houses are worth. They’re doing this because, currently, Philadelphia’s property-tax system is a joke. How much you pay in taxes is based on the city’s estimated “value” of your property, but the city’s values are out of touch with reality. So the Nutter administration is trying to fix that and get the values right.

Revamping this broken system may seem like a no-brainer … but it might not happen. City Council has already introduced a bill that would postpone reform for another year.

Politicians and talking heads have been in the news opining about this issue for years now. So in today’s podcast, we’re not going to talk to them. Instead, we’re listening to citizens to find out what they think about this dramatic sea change. We’re talking to the members of the Daily News’ People’s Editorial Board, a group of ten citizens who gather to debate hot topics in the city. The People’s Board discussed property taxes at their most recent meeting; you can find the editorial they wrote about the issue here. And click above to listen to what the individual members had to say about the prospects of their property taxes going up or down.