I commend Mayor Ravenstahl and the City of Pittsburgh for taking real action today to examine the validity of UPMC’s status as a purely public charity under the Pennsylvania constitution. By taking this step, the City and Mayor Ravenstahl have taken a major stride to institute fairness and accountability for our taxpayers.

This is about fairness for the average Pittsburgh citizen and small business owner, who shoulder a greater burden of taxation for those organizations who receive the privilege of a property tax exemption. They deserve to know that all organizations are paying their fair share and truly deserve their tax exemptions.
 
I have advocated on this issue since becoming County Controller and today marks the most significant development towards making the tax exemption system more fair and transparent, and pushing our massive non-profit organizations closer towards their original charitable purpose. I again commend Mayor Ravenstahl’s leadership and courage, as other elected officials have passed at the opportunity to take real action thus far.
 

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