Possible property-tax hike has Philadelphia homeowners on edge

This could be a big week for Philadelphia homeowners. City Council is expected to vote on a final budget this week that includes a property tax hike of nearly 10 percent.

This could be a big week for Philadelphia homeowners. City Council is expected to vote on a final budget this week that includes a property tax hike of nearly 10 percent.

Karen Brown is the President of the Southwark Civic Association in South Philadelphia.  She says the property tax hike could be too much for senior citizens to afford.

“They’re going to be forced out of their homes,” says Brown. “They’re going to have to go into retirement homes or move in with their family members, because they can’t keep their properties. Or they’re going to have to ask their families to chip in. Because a lot of seniors, like my mother, like their independence. They like living in the home where they raised their family, so that at Christmastime they can bring the family back together and have the big Christmas dinners and the big birthday celebrations.”

Another major decision affecting Philadelphia homeowners will come on Tuesday. That’s when voters – in the primary election – will decide whether to dissolve the Board of Revision of Taxes. The BRT has been slammed by critics for inaccurate property assessments and political cronyism.