The Philadelphia’s Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) recently decided to apply the County of Philadelphia Common Level Ratio (CLR)–which had been reduced by Pennsylvania’s State Tax Equalization Board (STEB) from 32 percent to 18.1 percent–to property values as certified by the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Property Assessment (OPA). Our firm filed a Petition to Intervene before the STEB in the appeal of the City of Philadelphia (the City) on behalf of approximately 173 Philadelphia taxpayer clients (taxpayers) who own property in Philadelphia and filed tax appeals. The taxpayers seek to intervene to ensure that the certified 18.1 percent CLR will be vigorously defended.
The suit alleges that if the CLR is altered by the STEB, the taxpayers will suffer a significant, adverse impact. If the petition is granted, the taxpayers intend to actively participate in this proceeding. We await the STEB’s ruling and will continue to monitor this important issue.