Defending the Pittsburgh area taxpayers and businesses against the burdensome taxation and regulation of Big Government

Introduction: In a recent media release, Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) reported that May’s count of total passengers, enplanements and deplanements, was 877,300. As of July 7, the breakout of May 2025 data with details of domestic and international travelers and airport operations still had not been posted on the airport’s website.

The released May figure was down from the May 2024 reading of 892,467.  For the first five months of 2025, total passengers were essentially unchanged from 2024’s first five-month total. In the coming five months (June to October) of 2025, it is likely passenger counts will compare very unfavorably to 2024 figures.

The stated intent of recently proposed legislation (H.B. 985) is to divert liquor tax revenue to provide grants to municipalities with tax-exempt property comprising 15 percent or more of total assessed value and with household median income of less than 115 percent of the state level. While the intent appears to be useful, the implementation and constraints of the proposed legislation pose many problems.  Many of the problems are rooted in the fact that Pennsylvania does not mandate a regular schedule of property assessments.