A Blog Tax??????????

I know that the city of Philadelphia is having financial problems but this really takes the cake!

It seems that if you have a blog or website that is making money then you have to pay for what is called a business license. According to an online article:

"All bloggers earning a profit have to pay $300 a year to be licensed in Philadelphia"

If your blog earns you more than $50 per year then you have to pay for the business license!

One way that people earn money with their blogs is with the Google Adsense program. (You can find out more about the Adsense program by visiting The Adsense Consultant's Blog.) The Adsense program lets you earn money from home by placing ads on your website or blog.

You see when you make over a certain amount with the adsense program you receive a tax statement at the end of the year showing how much you earned and I'm assuming that somewhere the city of Philadelphia finds that information - meaning that they will contact you asking for your payment for the business license.

What really seems to be unfair is that bloggers will have to pay for the $300 lifetime ($50 per year) license even if they don't even make enough money to pay for the license itself!

You can read the article by clicking here.

What Happens If You Don't Pay Your Real Estate Taxes (in Philly)?

What Happens If You Don't Pay Your Real Estate Taxes In Philly?

The city of Philadelphia uses a law firm to collect delinquent real estate taxes. If your real estate taxes go unpaid then civil tax actions can be filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia to enforce the collection of delinquent real estate taxes.

Unfortunately this means that your property can be sold at a Sheriff's sales if your real estate taxes are not paid. Also interest and other fees will be added to the amount that you owe!

In order to prevent a civil tax action from being filed against your property you must send your payment to the city of Philadelphia.

If you reside in the property and are unable to pay the amount due in a lump sum then you should contact the law firm to discuss the possibility of entering a payment agreement to pay the amount due in installments. (Proof of a financial hardship may be necessary to enter into such an agreement.)

Also see if you can obtain a copy of the "Philadelphia Taxpayer Assistance Brochure". For help or assistance in arranging a payment plan, you can call any of the Housing Counseling Agencies listed on page 5 of this brochure.

Did you know that there are millions of dollars owed to the city of Philadelphia. According to the mayor of Philadelphia these taxes are needed to support police and fire fighters plus the money also supports new schools, senior centers, recreation centers and playgrounds.

Real Estate taxes are due once a year, on March 31st of the tax year. If the taxes are not paid by March 31st of the tax year, a penalty charge will accrue on the principal amount of the tax, up to a maximum charge of 15% of the principal amount due. If the taxes remain unpaid after December 31st of the tax year, the 15% addition is added into the principal, and tax liens are filed against the property. Penalties and interest, as well as attorney fees continue to accrue until the tax is paid.

You may be able to postpone a Sheriff's sale of your home one time for 60 days.

You can petition the Philadelphia Tax Review Board to try to reduce the amount that you owe.

State Income Tax Website

I have added a new list of links to the side of this board. What prompted me to do that is that I'm currently filling out my income taxes and since the April 15th date is so near I was looking online to see if there was a site where I could download a copy of one of the Pennsylvania state tax forms that I need. I found the website and here it is:

State Income Tax Website

You can go to the website to find the Pennsylvania State Income Tax forms that you need and you can download them from the site as well.