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Former Philadelphia Controller Calls on Residents to Ask Council to Reverse Beverage Tax

3/21/2018

1 Comment

 
Former Philadelphia Controller Alan Butkovitz spoke about the beverage tax on WURD Radio on Tuesday, March 20 saying that the tax is hurting businesses and not going to Pre-K and rebuild playgrounds as promised.

Philadelphia Controller Rebecca Rhynhart reported that the controversial beverage tax likely brought in $6.5 million in revenue in January. Opponents of the tax have said that the tax is is not sustainable and shoppers will go out of the city to buy beverages. Mayor Kenny called it "misleading and inaccurate." Butkovitz says the controller's report is accurate and the money is going into a general fund and only a quarter of the funds are currently going to Pre-K.

"It's causing a threat to the availability of supermarkets as food distribution centers in the inner city," Butkovitz said. "Only 10 years ago it was seen as a major crisis in the city that we didn't have full service supermarkets. Now you have ShopRite operating at 52nd and Parkside and really energizing the whole community and somebody has switched the script on them. They are put in the position of losing money in stores and potential bankruptcy because they took the city of Philadelphia at its word that it was an objective of ours to get full service supermarkets throughout Philadelphia."

Listen to the WURD broadcast below.
1 Comment
Jeff allen link
3/21/2018 07:08:00 pm

As s PHILADELPHIA wholesaler We imediately lost 60 % of our Sales in the CITY. Fortunately we service three surrounding States. The Sales moved to the other states & counties as expected . They did the same dumb move with the Phila cigarette tax in 2014 - the Sales immediately went to the surrounding counties . And many thanks for our fine city council for creating a beautiful black market in Philly . cigarettes are coming in from Virginia and being sold directly to retailers out of the back of cars and in paper shopping bags. Once again city council could care less about the Phila business owner... the lifeblood ov every City!
Not to mention the $$$ they receive from the tax goes everywhere except where it’s suppose to. At this point , any sensible Buisiness owner will leave the city of brothers Lee love & set up In new jersey or Delaware. Thank you Philly ; my Philly business has been in your fine city for 107 years. But that don.t matter , just keep taxing more stuff like the 6% real estate tax , that should help more companies to thrive,,,,what a joke!,,,

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