Opinion: Proposed Parking Tax Reduction Would Do More Harm Than Good

A recent investigation into the working conditions of private parking companies in Philadelphia has produced a series of legislative responses designed to protect the health and safety of both parking lot employees and the people who pay to park in the city's private lots.

According to an opinion piece by Daniel Trubman, one of the legislative responses to the problems facing parking lot employees goes too far, however, in suggesting a reduction for the city's parking tax.

"We must move beyond the idea that the way to secure well-paying jobs is to cut the taxes of dangerous and environmentally destructive industries. That’s a strategy befitting a 19th-century coal mining town, not the dynamic and innovative Philadelphia of 2020," writes Trubman.

Among the causes betrayed by the proposed reduction of the city's parking tax, according to Trubman, are climate change mitigation, air quality, a green economy, air quality, Vision Zero, public transit, and progressive tax reform.

"Which services does this city envision should be cut even further in the near future for the benefit of drivers? Should more librarians be laid off? Should the hours and programming at the city’s recreation centers be further reduced? Does this council envision the need for homeless services will decrease in the coming years?"