Following the state-ordered closure of businesses to stem the tide of the coronavirus, a record number of Pennsylvanians have filed new unemployment claims over the last two weeks. As of Monday afternoon, the Department of Labor and Industry had received 834,684 new unemployment claims since March 16, when Gov. Tom Wolf announced the closure of all nonessential businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19. "That eclipses anything we've experienced for a weekly total, or even a yearly total," Jerry Oleksiak, Department of Labor and Industry secretary, said during a media call Monday. "This is a fluid, evolving, unprecedented crisis situation that we are facing," he said. *****COVID-19 Employee Survey***** https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWWQQGP How have you been impacted by COVID-19? As a Newtown Township Supervisor I expect that I will be called upon to make critical decisions in the coming weeks in response to the financial impact on Newtown Township and citizens of the Coronavirus pandemic and the emergency mitigation measures currently in place. Consequently, it is important that I get feedback from local employees that have been impacted by COVID-19.The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete. No identifying information is collected via this survey unless you opt-in to provide such information for purposes of follow-up or by subscribing to my email newsletter. NOTE: If you are an EMPLOYER, please take my COVID-19 Business Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/D7CVTJ2 *********************************** The total jumped nearly 300,000 from March 24, when the Department of Labor and Industry had received 540,000 new unemployment claims in the first week of Wolf's planned closure. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the highest number of first-time claims ever filed in Pennsylvania was 168,200, but that was for the entire month of January 2010. The surge in claims due to COVID-19 caused intermittent failures on the Department of Labor & Industry's website Sunday and Monday along with longer wait times over the phone in recent weeks. Officials urged those affected to be patient and to file online if possible to avoid wait times over the phone. "Don't get discouraged. Continue to be patient and continue to apply," Oleksiak said. "We want to help you. We want to help people that are in these difficult situations." Pennsylvania ― which Wolf last week said was the "epicenter of the unemployment crisis" with more than 3.3 million claims nationwide ― has likely seen more filers because the state does not have mandatory sick or family leave requirements like other large states, Oleksiak said. | With the coronavirus outbreak leading to layoffs, business closures, and a record spike in unemployment claims, Pennsylvania has delayed the deadline for filing personal income tax returns, offering taxpayers much-needed relief. *****COVID-19 Employee Survey***** https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWWQQGP How have you been impacted by COVID-19? As a Newtown Township Supervisor I expect that I will be called upon to make critical decisions in the coming weeks in response to the financial impact on Newtown Township and citizens of the Coronavirus pandemic and the emergency mitigation measures currently in place. Consequently, it is important that I get feedback from local employees that have been impacted by COVID-19.The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete. No identifying information is collected via this survey unless you opt-in to provide such information for purposes of follow-up or by subscribing to my email newsletter. NOTE: If you are an EMPLOYER, please take my COVID-19 Business Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/D7CVTJ2 ***********************************But it also could create a cash crunch for the state and put lawmakers in the difficult position of trying to pass a budget without knowing how badly tax revenues have been affected by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis. The delayed filing deadline — which the Department of Revenue moved from April 15 to July 15 to correspond with federal changes by the IRS — will cause “significant disruption to the budget process,” Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre) said.The state typically collects a large chunk of income tax revenue in March and April as people file right before the deadline, Corman said. With the delay, actual and projected revenues will be “very difficult to know” by the June 30 deadline for passing the budget.“That will be a challenge for all of us like we’ve probably never seen before,” Corman said, adding that lawmakers might need to pass a short-term budget because of the uncertainty.The outbreak is expected to deal a serious blow to the state’s bottom line as efforts to slow the spread of the virus shutter wide swaths of the economy, undercutting several sources of tax revenue. Already, Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered a hiring freeze and general purchasing ban for state agencies in an effort to cut spending. | | Note that in addition to loss of Earned Income Tax related to COVID-19 layoffs (read “PA Unemployment Claims Skyrocket”), Newtown Twp is in danger of losing a significant amount of Real Estate Transfer Tax revenue if the decline in home sales persists. Real Estate Transfer Tax is a tax assessed and imposed upon the transfer of real property or an interest in real property within the limits of Newtown Township, regardless of where the instruments making the transfers are made, executed or delivered or where the actual settlements on the transfer take place, at the rate of 1% of the amount of the value of said real property. This tax is split between the Township and the Council Rock School District. NOTE: The Township relies entirely on earned income tax, real estate transfer tax, and a local services tax to fund the general operations of the Township. [Please take the “ COVID-19 Employee Impact Survey”.] | | | In a normal year, March would see eager home buyers flocking to open houses, and sellers preparing their properties for what is usually the busiest season for the real estate market. But this isn't a normal year. So with no open houses or home tours, where does that leave the local real estate market in what is usually a pivotal time for the industry? Local agents say that while the spring market has gotten off to a fast start, things have slowed since the spread of the coronavirus. "I think it's definitely going to have an impact," said Tom Conte, the broker and owner of Avanti Real Estate in Warrington. He estimates the coronavirus crisis will push the spring market back 30 to 60 days. And an upswing in sales will be predicated on the fact that businesses owners and workers get the assistance they need to bridge life through the outbreak. But for now, the short-term challenges are two-fold, Conte explains. First, there are safety concerns. And then there are the obvious issues of how to market a property that no one can actually see in person. Those contemplating listing their properties will be inviting strangers to come through their homes. "The people coming through your house could be a carrier, and they could be touching things in your house," Conte said. And as a buyer, you're entering homes that could potentially have the virus. The second challenge is how to market the homes that people can't currently tour. To solve that conundrum, a bit of creativity is needed, Mauro Mellon said. "It's a time for agents to start thinking outside the box in order to serve their clients as best as they can," she said. That includes, obviously, online and social media marketing. And while traditional open houses are not an option at the moment, virtual open houses and home tours are a possibility. No contact closings are also an option and keep clients and staff safe. Like many industries grappling with this crisis, there are many unknowns — and there is no clear timeline for how long restrictions will continue. | |