Critics of Slot Machines Blast Tax Plan
The state House on Wednesday approved and sent to Gov. Ed Rendell a measure that would reduce property taxes with $1 billion in projected revenue from slot-machine gambling. The approval is an election-year victory for Rendell, who campaigned four years ago on a platform of legalizing and taxing slot-machine gambling to reduce property taxes statewide.
"We have repaired our compact with the citizens, and delivered on our promise to use gaming money to cut their property taxes by $1 billion annually," Rendell said in a statement after the House voted 137-61 in favor of the bill. The measure was crafted by a special committee of House and Senate members to resolve differences between the two chambers over how much of a property tax cut to provide and how to pay for it. Supporters said it represented significant progress toward resolving a decades-long debate about the issue.
"I look on it as not the first step, not the last step ? it is the next step," said Rep. David Steil, R-Bucks, who helped design the compromise. "We will take more steps in this chamber, and shame on us if we do not do that."
June 16, 2006
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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