A proposed Upper Darby 1 percent earned income tax can’t seem to make it out of the gate.
Upper Darby Council voted in February to approve an earned income tax for the second time.
And for the second time, it’s being challenged, writes Katie Bernard for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The first time, last year, a group of residents sued and a court rejected the ordinance over procedural issues.
The same residents are suing again in Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, arguing that the attempt this time violates state statutes.
Nixing the first taxing attempt left a $15 million hole in the township’s 2025 budget, delaying that budget until February.
The Council had hoped that passing the tax again in February, with it set to go into effect in July, would create a needed revenue source to keep property taxes from rising.
Upper Darby Mayor Ed Brown said he was confident in the legality of the council’s actions and was disappointed to see yet another lawsuit “from a small group focusing on technicalities, rather than addressing the core sustainability issues in the township.”
Find out more details about the challenge to Upper Darby’s earned income tax effort in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
