Casino revenue plays a big part in Nutter budget

    Mayor Nutter is relying on revenue from many sources in the coming years to balance the city budget. Property tax increases, sales tax increases, and more revenue from gambling dollars.

    Philadelphia already receives $85 million a year in wage tax reductions thanks to casinos elsewhere in the state. New casinos in Philly would drop wage taxes even further. And the city is betting on another $23million a year in host fees beginning in fiscal year 2012.

    Mayor Nutter is relying on revenue from many sources in the coming years to balance the city budget. Property tax increases, sales tax increases, and more revenue from gambling dollars.

    Philadelphia already receives $85 million a year in wage tax reductions thanks to casinos elsewhere in the state. New casinos in Philly would drop wage taxes even further. And the city is betting on another $23million  a year in host fees beginning in fiscal year 2012.

    Transcript:
    “Casino” – it’s a source of revenue for the city and the Mayor’s budget is counting on it.

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    “Casino” – it’s also a word that fires up Philadelphia politicians and activists.

    Casino-Free Philadelphia founder Jethro Heiko says Nutter’s call to get the casinos “up and running,” is a betrayal.

    Heiko: “He was very clear that he would work to stop casinos from being in neighborhoods, he would work with civic associations, he even said that he would work to prevent casinos from being in Philadelphia.  He hasn’t done those things.”

    Mayor Nutter says he never claimed he’d fight the casinos only that he’d push for locations other than the original sites along the Delaware River Waterfront. He says activists opposed to gaming should have taken their issues to state lawmakers years ago.

    Listen:
    Click on the play button below or right click on this link and choose “Save Link As” to download. [audio: reports20090320casino.mp3]

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