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Philadelphia City Council Member Contacts — 2016-19

Philadelphia City Council Standing Committees — 2016-19

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Minimum Wage Increases- PFMA opposes increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 or $15 per-hour, as many in city council have discussed in recent hearings. We believe this will negatively impact businesses and the wages and jobs they are able to provide. Also, adding a cost-of-living adjustment to the proposal would have a negative impact.

Litter/Trash Ordinances- PFMA believes that any ordinances looking to address trash and littering in the city should take a three-pronged approach. Those include an education, collection and enforcement component. This will help ensure any proposal is successful.

Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax- PFMA opposes any plan which would add a tax to sugar-sweetened beverages. This type of tax will increase customer’s food bills and infringe on their ability to purchase these products. It will drive business outside the city/county to surrounding areas and reduce revenue predicted to be generated by the Tax. This will lead to the need for more taxes/revenue in the future. It is up to the customer what types of products they would like to purchase and this type of tax hurts their ability to make that choice. 

Container Tax- PFMA opposes any plan which would add a tax on beverage or non-beverage containers. This type of tax will increase customer’s food bills and infringe on their ability to purchase these products. It will drive business outside the city/county to surrounding areas and reduce revenue predicted to be generated by the Tax. This will lead to the need for more taxes/revenue in the future. This is an extremely regressive tax which will hurt the citizens most, who can least afford to pay it.

Use and Occupancy Tax Increase- PFMA opposes increases to the use and occupancy tax which is a tax on the business, trade or other commercial use and occupancy of real estate located in Philadelphia. 

Fair Criminal Records Screening Standards/Ban The Box Ordinance- PFMA opposes this ordinance as it is currently draft, and was passed by City Council on December 10, 2015. We will work with council members to amend the legislation to address some of our members concerns.
 
Supermarket/Food Merchant Covenant Restriction Legislation- PFMA is opposed to legislation proposed by Councilwoman Cindy Bass, which would restrict grocery stores with over 7,500 square feet of space located in a food desert from restricting another grocery store from buying during the transition of sale.

Tobacco Products Restriction Ordinance- PFMA opposes the proposed ordinance which would prohibit the sale of tobacco products, electronic smoking devices and unapproved nicotine delivery products at establishments where health care services are provided or pharmaceuticals are sold.

Philadelphia Department of Public health Tobacco Permit Regulations- PFMA is opposed to the City's Department of Public health's new tobacco permitting / population density regulations for retailers. The regulations would prohibit currently permitted locations within 500ft of a school, set ratios for the number of permit-holding stores per neighborhood, and prohibit permits for any individual cited for more than two underage tobacco sales in a two-year period. Research has indicated that the regulations would effectively eliminated tobacco permitting in Philadelphia for the near future.

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