Philadelphia Questions

[Jet Mechanic]

The number of people below me in Charlotte is rapidly being depleted and I''m trying to weigh my options. If someone in Philadelphia can help me out with some answers, I''d appreciate it.

1. Is the Philadelphia airport within the city limits and if so, what is the city tax rate on wages?

2. Are there many apartments or rooms for rent within 15-20 miles from the airport? What is the range of monthly rental cost?

3. Better to live in Philadelphia or over the line in Delaware?

Thanks,
Jet Mechanic

 

[Hope777]

Jet, I''m not in PHL, but I can tell you parts of the airport fall within city limits while other parts do not. Contact PHLMM and ask which parts are where. One Concorse is within the City limits while the other is not. Also I think the Hangar is outside the limits. Most people I know at PHL either live in south Jersey or Delaware.

 

[Jet Mechanic]

Piney Bob,

Thanks for some info. Unfortunately the burger job doesn''t provide the now essential health insurance! The job situation in Charlotte is pretty bleak, hence my questions.

Since you lived in Philadelphia and would probably know, am I right to assume the airport is within the city limits and thus, the city wage tax would apply?

Jet Mechanic

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It''s better to live in CLT and flip burgers! The City Wage tax will choke a horse it''s over 4% almost 5%. Delaware on the plus side has no Sales Tax.
I have lived in the PHL metro area and if I had a choice of where to live it wouldn''t be near the airport or anyplace close to the city. That''s why I moved over an hour away to the beach. Lower cost of living not to mention the whole lifestyle issue and complete lack of crime.

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[genejockey]

Hi Jet,

I live in Delaware (34 miles from PHL). If you work at PHL there is a 4% city wage tax. The 4% PHL city wage tax is NOT refundable in any from, even if you live in Delaware....You don''t get credit for on Delaware income taxes for the PHL city wage tax. Personal income tax in Delaware is 5.3% on the first $60K and 5.9% on the balance above $60K. There is no sales tax in Delaware and the property taxes are extremely low. Example: my home is valued at $360K. My current property taxes are $1,823 per year! The same house in Maryland or Pennsylvania would cost you about $5,000 per year in property taxes. The same house in New Jersey would cost you about $10,000 per year.

Good Luck

 

[RowUnderDCA]

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On 4/16/2003 7:54:00 AM Hope777 wrote:

Jet, I''m not in PHL, but I can tell you parts of the airport fall within city limits while other parts do not. Contact PHLMM and ask which parts are where. One Concorse is within the City limits while the other is not. Also I think the Hangar is outside the limits. Most people I know at PHL either live in south Jersey or Delaware.

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This is true. I believe that parts of the International Terminal are (or were planned to be) outside Philly. BUT since the Airport is operated as a department of the City, I''d be shocked to find that the City pays you ''outside'' city limits.

I''d ask if living IN the city limits provides any tax benefits, since they have a commuter tax, unlike DC

 

[Twinotter]

About 15-20 mintes from Airport is an Area called, Delaware County.
Suburb of Philly, there are some very good sections, Aston, Springfield, Ridley. I lived in Springfield and Cliton Heights for about 20 years. I now live in FLL but all my Family is still in that area. Good Luck!!

 

[Jet Mechanic]

Another tax? I hadn''t even thought of a commuter tax. What is the percentage for that, Row?

Jet Mechanic

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On 4/16/2003 12:34:21 PM RowUnderDCA wrote:


This is true. I believe that parts of the International Terminal are (or were planned to be) outside Philly. BUT since the Airport is operated as a department of the City, I''d be shocked to find that the City pays you ''outside'' city limits.

I''d ask if living IN the city limits provides any tax benefits, since they have a commuter tax, unlike DC


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[WO/drone]

And the former mayor of PHL is now PAs governor, and planning on raising more taxes and proposing more, just like when he was in charge of PHL. Consider that too.

 

[RowUnderDCA]

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On 4/16/2003 3:34:06 PM Jet Mechanic wrote:

Another tax? I hadn't even thought of a commuter tax. What is the percentage for that, Row?

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ooops, sorry for the confusion. I used the term 'commuter tax' as a generic for what is referred to above as the 'city wage tax.' My point is simply to state, that if, as reported by others above, the 'city wage tax' is 4%, for which you get NO credit for living outside of Philly, you might want to look twice at living in Philly. BUT, I yield to the better informed folks on the board about Philly, in particular.

I think you are wise to look at ALL your tax burdens... property, income, 'city wage' and sales (of course you can always drive to Christiana Mall in DE for back to school clothes). And, of course, sadly, if you have school-age kids you have to factor in the quality of the schools. (it's wonderful to have kids, it's just sad that not all kids get a good public education)

For example, some income groups might be hit harder by a high property tax, whereas the income tax rates don't hit them that hard. Here in DC metro, we also have three jurisdictions to consider and more and more, people are considering living in DC (believe it or not-- public schools, notwithstanding)

Beware insurance rates, too... a hidden cost.

 

[JayBrian]

I believe the new USAirways maintenance hanger is located in Essington Township, Delaware County PA. Most of the runways are also in Essington but the majority of the terminals are Philadelphia.


Jay

 

[Jet Mechanic]

Row,

Okay, now I get it... commuter tax = city wage tax, it''s just a semantics thing! You are right about looking at all the tax burdens. Since continued, long-term employment at USAir seems to be an iffy thing, I am not considering selling my home in Charlotte. My wife and kids would stay in NC. I would commute to Philly, trying to live as cheaply as possible with several other mechanics. I would hope for a bid back to Charlotte or just go ahead and retire if the gig in Philly dragged on for too long.

It''s difficult to look at the whole picture and so, I''m trying to get as much information as possible. With the three days the company allows, I need to figure this out ahead of time.

Jet Mechanic

ooops, sorry for the confusion. I used the term ''commuter tax'' as a generic for what is referred to above as the ''city wage tax.'' My point is simply to state, that if, as reported by others above, the ''city wage tax'' is 4%, for which you get NO credit for living outside of Philly, you might want to look twice at living in Philly. BUT, I yield to the better informed folks on the board about Philly, in particular.

I think you are wise to look at ALL your tax burdens... property, income, ''city wage'' and sales (of course you can always drive to Christiana Mall in DE for back to school clothes). And, of course, sadly, if you have school-age kids you have to factor in the quality of the schools. (it''s wonderful to have kids, it''s just sad that not all kids get a good public education)

For example, some income groups might be hit harder by a high property tax, whereas the income tax rates don''t hit them that hard. Here in DC metro, we also have three jurisdictions to consider and more and more, people are considering living in DC (believe it or not-- public schools, notwithstanding)

Beware insurance rates, too... a hidden cost.

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[phllax]

Terminals B-F are located within the City of Philadelphia. Terminal A and the new International Terminal are located outside of the city.

However, what''s interesting is that the City and County of Philadelphia are one in the same, so anything outside the city limits is considered a suburb.

 

[SalesGuyCCY]

No offense to those in PHL, but stay in CLT. It''s cleaner and less expensive--better quality of life. PHL is gritty, congested, etc., etc!

 

[PHL]

Actually, Former PHL Mayor Rendel (current PA Governer) actually lowered the city wage tax during his 8 year stint. He was able to do that because he also balanced the budget from the mess left by Wilson Goode's Administration(noted for his MOVE bombings). In 1990/1991, the city was literally broke and was on the brink of not being able to pay for many of the most basic services. Following his election in 1991, things turned around for the better as the roaring 90's took off.

Rendel also lowered the crime rates, increased tourism and brought in a lot of convention business. Many hotels were built or rennovated in his era. His administration was also partly responsible for much of the improvements that happened to the airport in the mid-late 90's (City owns the PHL and PNE airports). You won't find many residents of the city that didn't like him. He would have won re-election in a landslide if he wasn't limted to two terms. Don't be surprised to see him on a Presidential ballot in the next 5-10 years. Oh, and don't even get me started on that good-for-nothing John Street who's been in office since Ed's departure......

City residents working in the city limits pay about 4.8%. City residents working outside the city, or vice-versa, pay closer to 4.6%.

You can also consider living across the river in New Jersey. It's no further than the DE state line. The Paulsboro, Gibbstown and Swedesboro areas (over the Commodore Barry bridge) is starting to pick up, and the real estate isn't too expensive in those parts yet. In fact, even with the leveling off of the Real Estate market in general, this area may be a good long term investment. It has a very rural feel to it, yet you're 10 minutes over the bridge to PA, 20 minutes to the DE state line, 30 minutes into Center City PHL, 45 minutes to the S. Jersey shore(Avalon, Cape May, Stone Harbor, Ocean City) and about 90-120 minutes to the Lincoln or Holland Tunnels of New York City. Baltimore and DC are both within 2-3 hours drive, too. P.S. I have no vested interest in the Swedesboro area - this is just my two cents based on many years of living in the area.

State Wage tax in NJ is about 1.8% vs. around 2.8% in PA. You also can apply PHL wage tax paid towards your NJ tax filing, so you're not being double whammy'd. Then, of course, you can deduct your local taxes on your federal form, so your effective local/state wage tax rates end up being slightly lower.

 

[Jet Mechanic]

Phl,

Thanks for the detailed information. Getting the goods from one who has lived there beats what I can find on the internet. At least I''m going to have more to investigate if my number comes up.

Jet Mechanic

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On 4/16/2003 8:57:53 PM PHL wrote:


City residents working in the city limits pay about 4.8%. City residents working outside the city, or vice-versa, pay closer to 4.6%.

You can also consider living across the river in New Jersey. It''s no further than the DE state line. The Paulsboro, Gibbstown and Swedesboro areas (over the Commodore Barry bridge) is starting to pick up, and the real estate isn''t too expensive in those parts yet. In fact, even with the leveling off of the Real Estate market in general, this area may be a good long term investment. It has a very rural feel to it, yet you''re 10 minutes over the bridge to PA, 20 minutes to the DE state line, 30 minutes into Center City PHL, 45 minutes to the S. Jersey shore(Avalon, Cape May, Stone Harbor, Ocean City) and about 90-120 minutes to the Lincoln or Holland Tunnels of New York City. Baltimore and DC are both within 2-3 hours drive, too. P.S. I have no vested interest in the Swedesboro area - this is just my two cents based on many years of living in the area.

State Wage tax in NJ is about 1.8% vs. around 2.8% in PA. You also can apply PHL wage tax paid towards your NJ tax filing, so you''re not being double whammy''d. Then, of course, you can deduct your local taxes on your federal form, so your effective local/state wage tax rates end up being slightly lower.

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