FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Marc Gergely D-Allegheny www.pahouse.com/gergely

Gergely: Property tax relief coming to 35^th district homeowners

HARRISBURG, April 29 – State Rep. Marc Gergely, D-Allegheny, said with more than $613 million in slots proceeds now in the state’s Property Tax Relief Fund, Pennsylvania’s more than 3 million homeowners will see school property tax relief this summer.

"Homeowners will see the cuts reflected in their new school property tax bills this summer," Gergely said. "The amount will vary by school district but in the 35^th Legislative District, all homeowners should see cuts that are above the $169 average projected for the state."

Gergely said school districts will receive the slots money from the state and will use it to adjust homeowners’ property tax bills. The exact amount that homeowners in each school district will see deducted from their school property tax bill will be determined sometime in May. He noted that as the revenue from current and pending gaming sites continues to grow, homeowners will receive even deeper school property tax relief in future years.

"Introducing slots gaming in Pennsylvania was done for the purpose of providing across-the-board school property tax relief for all homeowners," Gergely said. "Those tax cuts will start this year and are only going to get better."

The lawmaker said he also supports legislation, H.B. 1947, that would amend the state constitution to allow the legislature to completely eliminate property taxes on primary homes and farmsteads. The constitution currently limits property tax relief for homeowners to 50 percent of the median assessed value of residential property in each school district. The bill would remove the barrier to eliminating property taxes by increasing the homestead exemption to 100 percent.     

Last year, gaming revenues were used to help 540,000 Pennsylvania senior citizens receive $234 million in property tax relief through the expanded Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program.

Gergely’s district includes the following school districts: Duquesne City, East Allegheny, Elizabeth Forward, McKeesport Area, South Allegheny, Steel Valley, West Mifflin, and Woodland Hills.

A complete list of the property tax relief payouts by district will be available next month on Rep. Gergely’s Web site at www.pahouse.com/Gergely.

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