PHILADELPHIA-Although the city's tax delinquency rose to $522 million this past April, the level of annual growth is on the decline, a sign that Mayor Michael Nutter's collection efforts are finally bearing fruit.
The city has also made strides in reducing the total number of delinquent tax accounts, from 102,787 in April of 2012 to 97,310 in April 2013, according to PlanPhilly.com.
In the last few months, new leadership, new enforcement tools and new city and state laws have all helped the city deal with its tax delinquency dilemma.
“The important information from us is that we have new eyes on this problem ... We are focused on results. And we are committed to cultural change internally,” says Thomas Knudsen, the city's new chief collections officer.
The city's tax delinquency problem has taken decades to develop. Although some progress has been made, there are almost 9,500 properties in Philadelphia that are 20 or more years in arrears on their taxes. See story at PlanPhilly.com.
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