The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Pittsburgh’s “jock tax” is unconstitutional. Now, the city controller says the city stands to lose millions of dollars in revenue.
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The jock tax is a 3% tax on pro athletes and other performers who play in Pittsburgh, but do not live in the city.
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The court’s ruling means the city must stop collecting it immediately.
Pittsburgh was expecting to collect $16.8 million from the tax through 2030.
City Controller Rachael Heisler said she told the mayor’s office to be prepared for this.
Heisler said the city would have been better positioned to absorb this loss if it had built in a flexible buffer. She says that’s something that was advised of last fall.
The mayor’s office disputes the controller’s statement, telling Channel 11 it has been “proactively preparing for the possibility and is working to make sure any impacts to the budget are responsibly managed.”
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