We had noted before the intent of the city of Pittsburgh to look into whether tax-exempt properties in the city are entitled to exemption from property tax. That project is proceeding forward. According to the latest article:"Mayor Ed Gainey
Opinion Page: Should UPMC and other nonprofits worry about Tower Health ruling?
From the Pittsburgh Tribune, March 16, 2023: (For background see our post here.)Tower Health might be the canary in the nonprofit coal mine.The Reading-area health system has four hospitals. It has joint ventures with Drexel University. It has
Studying PILOTS: Ad Hoc Taxation and The Difficulty of Data
One of the barriers to articulating a grundnorm for PILOTS is that PILOTS are inherently ad hoc and indeed oxymoronic. A payment in lieu of taxes means a payment made so the authorities won't tax the payer. In other words
Pittsburgh Announces Audit of Nonprofit Property Tax Exemptions
In late January, the city of Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey announced that it will review whether the cities many nonprofits qualify for property tax exemption. The call notes that about one third of city property is exempt from taxation.From the
Notable trifurcation ruling in federal capital case against Tree of Life mass murderer
The criminal law professor listserve brought to my attention the interesting capital criminal procedure story coming this week from federal court in Pittsburgh. This local article, headlined “Judge rules Tree of Life death penalty sentencing would occur in 2
Pittsburgh Follows Familiar Script to Extract Payments In Lieu of Taxes
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey displaying executive order requiring audits of nonprofits in Pittsburgh ensure they are “purely public charities.” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is following a familiar script in seeking to supplement the city’s budget with up to $36 million in
More on Pittsburgh’s Audit of Nonprofits
The Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh PILOTS depend on public shaming for their implementation and perpetuation. The process of imposing PILOTS invariably follows a well worn pattern: (1) a local government official searches for revenues while maintain an
Blitzburg Tackles Nonprofit Property Tax Exemptions . . . Again.
Welp, my team is once again back home on the couch during this playoff season so I have lots of time to blog. Pittsburgh, the city once known mostly for steel mill working, hard drinking, hard fighting, pierogi and Primanti
Tuesday Talk*: To Enforce Anyway?
There is law. There is duty. And then there is the question of discretion, who gets to decide whether it’s to be executed or not. This is an issue that’s reared its head on numerous levels over the past few
#Pittsburgh’s Futures 12/x – Food and the Future of Postindustrial Cities
The following appears online at Postindustrial, a Pittsburgh-based magazine. Postindustrial subscriptions are available here.
By Michael Madison
Food culture offers an emblem and embodiment of postindustrial transformation. Pittsburgh’s tastes have never been fixed, but the pace of change has