What can I do to fix Pittsburgh's problems? (Philadelphia: real estate, property taxes)

[guylocke]

Oh, how about this nice clear up?

“Not one dime of tolls from I-80 would go to mass transit anywhere in the commonwealth,” Brimmeier said. “In fact, the money collected on I-80 would first pay for maintenance and reconstruction on I-80, with remaining toll revenues supporting improvements to roads and bridges throughout Pennsylvania — including many along this largely rural corridor of the state.”

If you want the whole article, here it is.

Pa. Turnpike Chief Clarifies I-80 Tolling Misconceptions

[ScranBarre]

If this truly is the case and the hysteria regarding the toll money being used for mass transit in other cities is unwarranted, then I'll be the first to get down on my knees and bow down before you and admit defeat. Worship Gavan, worship Gavan, worship Gavan (cue pittnurse70 approaching with a palm leaf fan and grapes). Then again, Governor Rendell also promised that the gaming revenues would go to reduce our property taxes, yet that has also not come to fruition.

[Katiana]

I mean, I'm not positive, but I would find it extremely hard to believe if a disproportionate amount of tax payer dollars in Colorado weren't filtered to Denver.

This is most certainly true. However, we do not expect the people in western Colorado to subsidize mass transit in metro Denver. There is a six-county mass transit district that collects a sales tax for it. That is just an example. I don't know how mass transit is funded in PA.

[guylocke]

Then again, Governor Rendell also promised that the gaming revenues would go to reduce our property taxes, yet that has also not come to fruition.

I just explained all that in another thread!! Here. LOL.

Here is how the contract works between the state and the gaming control board of Pennsylvania. Mind you, these are actual laws signed by the governor, these aren't empty promises or what-ifs. They are law-abiding contracts.

Anyway, this is how it works.

The casino's make about two million dollars per day (some months have brought in a billion dollars or more).

The state keeps 55 cents of every dollar that the slots make. Of that 55 cents, 34% of that goes into the state fund for property tax relief, or roughly 20 cents per dollar.

Currently, that fund has over 300 million dollars in it (that was several months ago). Once the fund reaches 570 million, by state contract, property relief will be enacted that following school-year term. Many predict it will go into affect as early as next school year, which would be for the 2008-2009 calender year.

I am not positive what the actual relief % is, but will try to do some research on it. It should be fairly considerable as Ed Rendell wants PA property tax to be more comparable with a national level.

If you were wondering what the other percent breakdowns of the revenue is: 12 percent goes to the horse racing industry, 5 percent to tourism and economic development and 4 percent to local and county governments where the licenses were awarded.

Things would be moving a lot faster but several of the casino's are tied up in appeal courts and other red-tape (including the one for Pittsburgh). In the end, there will be up to 14 casino's total in Pennsylvania. I believe only five or six are currently open, and they are all exceeding profit forecasts by a large margin.

I realize casino's can be good and bad in many ways, but this is pretty incredible. Look at these numbers, they are from ONE week of revenue, last week, in fact, October 1st thru the 7th.

In ONE week:
The state tax relief fund made $8,236,751.60
The PA race horse fund made $2,907,088.77
The economic and tourism fund made $1,211,286.99
The local government share fund made $969,029.59

That is pretty incredible, if you ask me.

I'm not sure when and how all that is being distributed, but I do know that tourism in Pennsylvania is WAY up. We are now the fourth highest visited state in the country fueled by large growth in the Pennsylvania Wilds (27 state parks in north central PA), Philadelphia, the Great Lakes region, and Pittsburgh.

I'd like to know one thing, though. If 12% of the state's share of the casino revenue goes to the horse race industry, where does the money go that horse race industry makes???

If you read the laws between the gaming control board and the state, you would see that his tax relief isn't just something the governor is "hoping" to do or something "he'll look into for the future."

It's spelled out in black and white in the contract between the state and the gaming control board. It's been enacted into the law of Pennsylvania, it's not like other states where they kinda just tell people what they HOPE to do with the money and see where it goes. It's quite specific and every penny made is accounted for. On the gaming control board's website they ever show you how much each fund currently has and what has been made on a week to week basis since the first casino opened.

[guylocke]

Worship Gavan, worship Gavan, worship Gavan (cue pittnurse70 approaching with a palm leaf fan and grapes).

I hatchu.

:P

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by boylocke

I hatchu.

:P

Worship Gavan, worship Gavan, worship Gavan (cue pittnurse70 approaching with a palm leaf fan and grapes).

Huh? LOL!

[guylocke]

However, we do not expect the people in western Colorado to subsidize mass transit in metro Denver.

Now you are just nit-picking over which things are okay to subsidize and which aren't. I'm sure all over Colorado citizens subsidize a great many things in Denver. What do you think a lot of that money is used for?

[guylocke]

Worship Gavan, worship Gavan, worship Gavan (cue pittnurse70 approaching with a palm leaf fan and grapes).
Huh? LOL!

He's using my real name, the little rascal. We may argue on here, but we're friends behind the scenes. :P

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by boylocke

Now you are just nit-picking over which things are okay to subsidize and which aren't. I'm sure all over Colorado citizens subsidize a great many things in Denver. What do you think a lot of that money is used for?

Roads, prisons, education. Probably more criminals here than the rest of the state, per capita. I was just explaining how mass transit is funded here.

[kpoeppel]

That just means it's a shell game. The money that should have been spent maintaining I-80 without tolls will then be sent to Philly and Pittsburgh. Any way you slice it, the end result is the same.

A whole corridor that could have attracted businesses will now become less desirable thanks to the tolls.