Earned Income Tax Approved In Yardley Borough

YARDLEY BOROUGH, PA — The borough will join other communities throughout the Philadelphia region that have an Earned Income Tax.

The Yardley Borough Council approved the measure in a 6-0 vote at its meeting on Tuesday night.

"Last night, we chose to provide long term financial stability for the town we love," Councilwoman Martha Howlett told Patch on Wednesday. "The majority of council members, including myself, will pay this tax. We understand that any additional tax is difficult, especially in the current economy. Even so, we are proud that many residents recognized the importance of this change and were willing to support it."

She said there were six council discussions beginning in March, and a door-to-door community outreach to discuss the EIT tax.

Yardley Borough joins 51 other municipalities in Bucks County, and over 90 percent of municipalities statewide, that have an Earned Income Tax.

"All of those towns were at one point in our position and had to make this decision as well," Howlett said.

The councilwoman said that Yardley is already at the 30-mill cap for general purpose property taxes, which fund essential services such as police protection and stormwater management.

Howlett said that revenue from an earned income tax adjusts with inflation, allowing the borough to address current budget deficits and operate with long term stability.