Got to play to win
You’ve got to play to win. Just the same as you can’t win the Pennsylvania Lottery without buying a ticket, you can’t expect to hit the property tax rebate without filling out a form. As the March 1 deadline nears, state politicians are reminding constituents to sign up for the complex scheme that might someday pay off in a reduction of school property taxes. No one is certain whether Pennsylvania will ever rake in the $1 billion in gambling revenue that it needs in order for the tax reduction to kick in. And no one knows if they hit the magic number exactly how much anyone stands to gain in tax cuts.
The only thing that is certain is this: If property owners don’t sign up, they won’t see a nickel in savings.
Near as anyone can tell, this is how the gambling expansion bill shakes out to individual property owners.
Once slots are installed at the race tracks and stand alone parlors, revenue will flow into Harrisburg. A portion of it will be set aside for school districts. Those school districts that opt into sharing the revenue will then divvy up the pot, and the money will trickle down to property owners who signed onto the program.
In Fayette County, 60,000 of these homestead exclusion forms were mailed; some 15,000 have yet to be returned. Other than the price of a stamp and about five minutes time, there is nothing to lose in sending in the form. It doesn’t mean your taxes are immediately going down. It doesn’t mean that you approve of gambling expansion. It doesn’t mean that you think that your school district ought to opt into the plan.
All it means is that you are smart enough to protect your interests.