Press Releases

Local CPA Says EMS Tax Unfair to Low-Income Workers

PITTSBURGH -- Barry Gerber, CPA, of Pittsburgh, testified today on concerns about the Emergency and Municipal Services (EMS) tax before the Pennsylvania House Finance Committee.

Gerber, a member of Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants' (PICPA) State Taxation Committee, cited the administrative burdens that the collection, distribution, and auditing of this tax has created for Pennsylvania companies. Gerber, an attorney from Kesich Consulting Group LLP in Pittsburgh, also stated that as currently constructed, the tax unfairly penalizes minimum wage and part-time workers. In many cases the tax is collected as a lump sum, which could eliminate a good portion of a paycheck for many part-time workers.

The tax was created by the Emergency and Municipal Services Act in 2004, replacing the Occupational Privilege tax.

PICPA's State Taxation Committee is composed of CPAs from across Pennsylvania and examines state and local tax filing issues. Members of the committee have previously testified before the state legislature on the burden of the local tax collection process, as well as the proposed state sales tax expansion and the tax appeals process.

Founded in 1897, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants is a professional association of more than 19,000 CPAs who work in public accounting, industry, government, and education. PICPA is the second-oldest and fifth-largest state CPA organization in the United States. To find a member CPA in your area, visit our Web site at www.picpa.org and click on CPA Locator. Students and educators can visit PICPA's specially designed site www.CPAzone.org to get the latest information about careers in accounting and the CPA profession.