Pa. auditor wants more time for 2010 property tax cuts

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner wants Gov. Ed Rendell to extend the already-expired application period for residential property tax cuts financed by taxes on slot-machine gambling.

Wagner said today he has asked Rendell to issue an executive order extending the deadline for this year’s “homestead exclusion” program to April 15.

He says he wants homeowners who are confused about the program to have extra time to apply.

Doug Hill of the Pennsylvania County Commissioners Association says he doubts the governor could order a change in the March 1 deadline because it is clearly spelled out in state law.

Hill noted the tax cut is called an exclusion because it excludes a portion of a property’s value from taxation.