Soon You Might Have to Pay Extra For Package Deliveries in PA

This is definitely not the news Amazon shopaholics want to hear: Pennsylvania is considering a new package delivery tax which would mean residents would have to pay extra on every single package delivered to their door.

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If state officials have their way, Pennsylvania would become the first state to impose a package tax on things delivered by Amazon, FedEx, and UPS. How much of a package tax are we talking about? Officials are asking for a 25-cent tax per package delivery which isn't going to break the average person, but over the course of a year, especially for those who do a ton of online shopping, that 25-cent per package delivery can certainly add up.

According to Philly Voice, "In 2019, an estimated 554.8 million parcels were delivered in Pennsylvania. That number rose considerably to approximately 721.5 million in 2020 amid the pandemic." Basic math tells us if each of those packages were taxed 25-cents a piece, Pennsylvania would have brought in $180,250,000 in additional revenue in 2020.

What does Pennsylvania hope to do with the extra income if each delivered package is taxed? Philly Voice says Jennie Granger, deputy secretary for Multimodal Transportation in Pennsylvania said at a recent Transportation Revenue Options Commission Meeting that the state could bring in upwards of $250 million in the next few years to "a mix of transportation needs."

Apparently, the give would come from residents by way of a package tax and the take would be, well you know. But, if it means Pennsylvania officials taking a few cents on every package in order to fix Pennsylvania's notoriously awful roads, it might be a win-win. That's as long as officials realize Pennsylvania is more than just Philadelphia and Pittsburg and that some of the smaller towns in the state have roads that desperately need some help.