A Philly Pity Party

I have to comment on one more item from yesterday’s Inquirer.

I don’t have too many “rules of thumb” when doing this, but I suppose one is to consider everyday letter writers, opinion columnists and non-journo types as “civilians” at this site and thus leave them alone unless they take direct aim at an issue or political candidate for which I have advocated. But I’m going to break that rule for a minute.

I’ll provide just a bit of background; the Inquirer just loves to run letters and Op-Ed pieces about how screwed up Philadelphia is because it isn’t more business friendly, reflected in part by its odious city wage tax – as noted here, the resident rate is about 4.26 percent and the non-resident rate is 3.75 percent. And by the way, I am no fan of it either, having paid it for years along with my wife before circumstances changed.

With all of this in mind, here is a letter to the editor from Mary Barr Mann that the Inquirer published yesterday…

Yo, the one thing I really need you to do is . . .

. . . bring me back to Philadelphia. I know this sounds rather self-serving, what with all the pressing crises of the city - including poverty, crime, and education. But I represent the vast Philadelphia diaspora - the many former inhabitants who long for Philadelphia, who spend hours a week on Philly.com and phillyblog and read the Business Journal and City Paper on line. We miss our neighborhoods, our families and our soft pretzels. We want to come back, but something is missing: jobs.

Almost seven years ago, I married a man who lives and works in North Jersey. His technology-based firm is thriving in the New York area, with many clients ranging in geographic location from Garden City, Long Island, to Parsippany, N.J. How many clients do they have in the Philadelphia area? One. In Blue Bell.

Philadelphia needs to significantly lower its wage and business taxes and aggressively work to attract and grow new businesses. Some might argue that there is growth on the Route 202 corridor and in other suburbs, but without a vibrant economic engine at the center, the Philadelphia region is lagging behind metro areas like New York and Boston. Jobs will bring new residents, new income and new life to the city - both at its center and in the neighborhoods.

So why does all of this sound fake somehow?

Well, am I to assume that Ms. Barr Mann would return to this area from North Jersey on a somewhat regular basis to enjoy the benefits of “a vibrant economic engine” (if that isn’t Chamber of Commerce boilerplate, I don’t know what is) if the city created new jobs? Am I to assume that she misses living in Philadelphia while she is currently residing in North Jersey with her husband (a formidable commute from one place to the other, by the way, mass transit or no) and tax cuts would somehow create a job in nearby Blue Bell for her old man?

Well, for her information, the city wage tax already was cut to its current amounts from 4.54 percent for residents and 3.96 percent for non-residents (as noted here – I don’t remember exactly what we had to pay, but I can guarantee you that it was more than that). And Michael Nutter, the presumptive next mayor, is an ardent opponent of the wage tax, so you can expect further cuts once he takes office.

Also, if you read the post from lawmummy here, you’ll find he (?) makes an excellent point. People who leave Philadelphia do so to find better schools elsewhere and lower insurance, to say nothing of crime. Overwhelmingly, they don’t do it for the wage tax. Also, the wage tax pays for city services like police, fire and garbage collection. In many parts of the country, while they don't have a wage tax, those services are paid out of other (and sometimes higher) property taxes, convenience and sin taxes, licenses and fees. Get ready for that eventuality in Philadelphia without the wage tax.

Think about all of this while you’re eating your hot pretzel, Ms. Barr Mann.