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City Council Proposes Renaming "Wage and Net Profits Tax" as ERNIE, Brings Rates into Modern Era

Official:Amending Chapters 19-1500, 17-700, 19-1200, 19-500, 19-1800, 19-2800, and The Preface to the Tenth Edition of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Wage and Net Profits Tax" "Law Department Fees" "Parking Tax" "Taxes and Rents - General" "School Tax Authorization" "Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority Tax on Wages and Net Profits" and "The Preface to the Tenth Edition" to rename the Wage and Net Profits Tax the Employed Residents and Non-Residents Income and Earnings Tax, or ERNIE, and making conforming amendments throughout The Philadelphia Code, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Green

Introduced: December 13, 2012

: Committee on Finance

finance government revenue taxation

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2012–2015 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 renames Philadelphia's Wage and Net Profits Tax to the Employed Residents and Non-Residents Income and Earnings Tax (ERNIE) and updates the tax rates that have been in effect since 1950.

What This Bill Does

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

Renames the Wage and Net Profits Tax to the Employed Residents and Non-Residents Income and Earnings Tax (ERNIE).
Updates the tax rates that have been in effect since 1950.
Makes conforming amendments throughout The Philadelphia Code to reflect the new name of the tax.
Renames Chapter 19-1500 of The Philadelphia Code to reflect the new name of the tax.