Pennsylvania legislator wants to put the kibosh on taxes on Holocaust reparations

Charlotte Gelb waved to her mother as her train left the station. The Jewish teenager was excited about her plans to relocate to New York, blissfully unaware of the tragic reality that was causing the separation. That final goodbye occurred in Nazi Germany, and her mother would soon be taken to a concentration camp and her father was beaten to death by German police. Charlotte “had no idea she would never see her mother again and she never forgave herself for not looking back,” her granddaughter, Rachel Howe, told lawmakers at a Pennsylvania House Finance Committee meeting Wednesday. Howe was testifying in support of a bill to exempt Holocaust-related reparation payments from state income tax. Pennsylvania is one of only four states that still tax such payments made by the German government, as well as court judgments for stolen property, as personal income. State Rep. Ben Waxman, a Philadelphia Democrat who introduced the bill, told the committee that the total amount of benefit to the state would be “small” but would make a significant difference for survivors. “This is a way for us to honor survivors, recognize the lasting impact of the Holocaust and ensure that survivors can keep the...