Pennsylvania State Sen. Nikil Saval wants to give Philadelphia a new way to pay for its museums, libraries, theaters, parks and recreation centers: a bump in the city’s sales tax. The Philadelphia Democrat announced the proposal Thursday, which would authorize the city to raise its sales and use tax specifically to create a dedicated funding stream for arts, culture and community assets.
The proposal names museums, galleries, theaters, parks, recreation centers, libraries and other public assets as potential beneficiaries, according to Saval’s announcement. As The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, the tax would generate an annual funding pool for recipients, and Saval has floated the idea that the increase could land around one penny per dollar, though that detail has not been finalized.
Saval’s announcement points to Philadelphia’s arts and culture sector as a $2.2 billion economic engine for the city, and frames the proposal as a response to recent losses that have rattled the local cultural scene. He cited the closure of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s museum in September, as well as the earlier demise of the University of the Arts, as evidence of the need for a dedicated funding mechanism, according to his announcement and the Inquirer’s account.
A Pittsburgh Model Decades in the Making
The proposal is modeled on Allegheny County’s Regional Asset District, a program established in 1993 that Saval’s office holds up as proof of concept. Pennsylvania lawmakers passed Act 77 that year, enabling Allegheny County to adopt a one-percent local-option sales tax, with half of the proceeds distributed through the district to regional assets, according to RAD Works Here. Saval’s announcement credits the Allegheny program with generating more than $5.5 billion over the past three decades…