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Surety Firms Get Tax Break for Backing Small Businesses in Construction Projects

Official:Amending Chapter 19-2600 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Business Privilege Taxes," to provide for a tax credit to surety companies that provide construction surety bonds to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Clarke

Introduced: October 1, 2009

: Committee on Finance

businessdisadvantagefinance

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2008–2011 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill provides a tax credit to surety companies that issue construction bonds to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs). DBEs are small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

Provides a tax credit to surety companies that issue construction bonds to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs).
Defines what constitutes a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), including that it must be at least 51% owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
Exempts businesses that have received more than $10 million in contract work from the City from being considered DBEs.
Applies to surety companies that are licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to write construction surety bonds.