A Project by Joy Payton
Background: The City of Philadelphia (which is also a county) is one of the nation's poorest large cities, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts 1. With a poverty rate over 25% and large areas of the city experiencing blight, it is more important than ever that property taxes be collected promptly and correctly, to bolster city schools (which receive 55% of property tax, and are struggling 2) and other important city budgets. However, property tax delinquency has been largely ignored and unenforced. A Philadelphia Inquirer investigation in 2013 shows that at least 59% of delinquent properties are owned by investors, not poverty-stricken families unable to pay. 3