6 takeaways from a new report on Philadelphia’s property tax system

Max Marin and Kasturi Pananjady:

Philadelphia’s latest property reassessment represents “a key moment” for Philadelphia, according to a new report from Pew Charitable Trusts, with the city’s total combined property value rising to $204 billion, up from $168 billion just three years ago.

The report comes amid controversy over thefirst citywide reassessment in three years — and property owners’ frustration over resulting tax hikes. Public opinion of the city’s property tax remains low, with residents scoring it in a Pew poll as one of the most unfair levies. Among large cities in the country, Philadelphia has one of the highest home-ownership rates — both generally and among low-income homeowners in particular.

» READ MORE: Philly property assessments are systemically inaccurate in Black and low-income neighborhoods

Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonprofit and nonpartisan policy think tank that conducts research on issues in Philadelphia, released the report Thursday.Here are six key takeaways:

Philly’s property tax revenue grew 60% in the last decade

Despite ongoing problems with the city’s property tax system, revenue is booming.

Annual revenues collected from property taxes have skyrocketed from just over $1 billion in 2010 to more than $1.6 billion in 2021, a period in which the city implemented four rate increases and multiple reassessments that led to higher tax bills for many property owners.