Yes, I do propose to drastically reduce the Business Privilege Tax and eliminate the Gross Receipts Tax. I propose this because small and locally owned businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they are the businesses that bear the greatest burden under the current system — our neighborhood businesses, minority and female businesses. These are the people who have made a personal financial investment in their business while struggling to make a payroll. They need tax relief to survive. This is not an exercise in academic theory; this is about real tough issues and tough choices that determine whether our residents have jobs. And let's stop this false debate about small business vs. big business; we need all of our businesses to grow because Philadelphians and people in our suburbs need to work, and our city needs to grow.

While many sectors of our economy cannot relocate to another city, many service businesses and secondary suppliers move across the city boundaries. We have a "BPT ring," a commercial corridor wrapping around the city, pushing jobs farther out into the suburbs, out of the reach of city residents who don't have cars or access to adequate public transportation.

The negative effects of Philadelphia's tax laws on job growth are about as scientifically certain as the effects of global warming, having been recently documented in studies from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve, the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority and the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission.

Because of our tax laws, we don't have enough good living-wage jobs in this city. Because of our uncompetitive tax system, we don't have enough money to invest in affordable housing, to provide more afterschool programs for our children, or to offer the hope of quality education and employment opportunities to the thousands of young men and women who drop out of school or don't go to college. Creating jobs, providing quality education and investing in our citizens would significantly reduce crime and violence in our city. That is why I care about tax policy.

Yes, it will be a challenge to balance the budget. My professional background and training is in municipal finance and unlike any other potential mayoral candidate, I have helped negotiate, approve and balance 15 city budgets. And I love this city. I would never rip money out of the budget without thinking about what effect it would have on the families that depend on our social services.

Every year for the last 11 years, Mayor Street and former Mayor Rendell managed to cut the wage and business taxes and revenues went up at the same time, as our economy expanded for the first time in decades. I am not "simply slashing taxes for business," as Mr. Waxman charges. I am taking one important step for Philadelphia residents and workers.

If he had taken the time to look at my record of service (www.nutterformayor.com), he would realize that I have long been a champion of growing our economy in a way that benefits all Philadelphians, with a number of different strategies that make sense. I wrote the Neighborhood Benefits Strategy, which has expanded opportunities for low-income residents and neighborhood businesses; I have sponsored bills stating that city contracts should contain hiring preferences for low-income workers, and legislation to require that city residents have an opportunity to work on city projects.

I have thought long and hard about what needs to be done to fix this city. I look forward to continuing to share my vision with you. We can do so much together, because we all care so much about Philadelphia.

(editorial@citypaper.net)