Repeal of the Cohen Wage Tax Rebate

By MB -
From our friends at the Fair Share Coalition
On Thursday, June 14, at Noon, in Room 400, City Hall, City Council's Committee of the Whole will vote on Bill 120174, the repeal of the Cohen wage tax rebate law. 
Since 2004, Philadelphia has had wage tax relief for low and moderate income workers, similar to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and state Tax Back/Tax Forgiveness programs. But, the start date of the law has continuously been postponed, so that it is not scheduled to begin until 2016.

Under the law, for example, a two-parent, two-child family with a household income up to $34,250 would be eligible to receive some of their wage taxes back. So would a one-parent, three-child family with an income up to $37,250. The law, championed by the late Councilman David Cohen, is the first and still only progressive wage tax legislation ever passed in Philadelphia.
If you support the tax credit, you can do the following:

  • call your District Councilperson and all At-Large Councilpeople today and urge them to Vote No this Thursday, June 14, on Bill 120174. You can find their phone numbers here: http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/CouncilMembers.html.5 City Council members have so far stated they will oppose the repeal. 9 votes are needed to STOP the repeal.
  • On Thursday, June 14, at Noon, come to City Council, Room 400, City Hall, and demand that City Council NOT REPEAL wage tax relief for lower-income Philadelphians. Your presence is critical to stopping this attack on working families in Philadelphia.
  • If the repeal bill is voted out of Committee this Thursday, June 14, it will be up for final passage in City Council on Thursday, June 21, at 10 AM. Your calls to City Council members would then continue to be needed through Wednesday, June 20 and your presence in City Council on Thursday, June 21 at 10 AM would be crucial to defeating this tax increase targeted to working class Philadelphians.

For more information, contact Sherrie Cohen, of the Fair Share Coalition, at 215-620-3396 or email sherriecohen@comcast.net.

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