ALMOST 450,000 Pennsylvania seniors signed up to receive property tax and rent rebates this year.
Gov. Josh Shapiro is responsible for about 100,000 of these requests thanks to his enhanced property/rent tax rebate program.
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O expansion increased discounts for eligible residents from $650 to $1,000 and increased income limits to $45,000 for renters and homeowners.
It was the program first expansion in 18 years.
Pennsylvania residents over the age of 65, widows or widowers over the age of 50, and disabled residents over the age of 18 are encouraged to apply.
To date, more than 445,000 rebate applications have been submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.
Read more about direct payments
Of the 445 thousand candidates, almost 80 thousand were elderly.
The governor prioritized this issue even before being elected.
When Shapiro ran two years ago, he talked to his voters about expanding the senior tax credit.
“The property tax/rent rebate program has been a lifeline for our seniors and people with disabilities, especially those on fixed incomes,” he said in a statement.
“With higher income limits for renters and homeowners in place this year, we are seeing thousands of Pennsylvanians access this critical program”
The governor also mentioned that eligible Pennsylvanians now have until the end of the year to sign up and take advantage of the program.
PAYMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS
Homeowners and renters eligible for the program can receive the following discounts based on their income:
- Residents earning $0 to $8,000 are eligible for a discount of up to $1,000
- Residents earning $8,001 to $15,000 are eligible for a discount of up to $770
- Residents earning between $15,001 and $18,000 are eligible for a discount of up to $460
Who is eligible?
Apply if you are:
- A Pennsylvania renter or homeowner age 65 or older
- A widow and a widower aged 50 or over
- Disabled person aged 18 or over
- Receive an annual income under $45,000
- Residents earning between $18,001 and $45,000 are eligible for a discount of up to $380
‘DO IT BETTER’
The governor has amassed more than 300,000 followers on X, formerly Twitter, and tweets regularly about the discount program.
In March, he spoke to seniors who benefited from the expansion and are applying to receive money back in their pockets.
While the program has received generally positive feedback from the community, some are calling on the governor to do more.
“WHY SIGN UP? WHY? You have our address, our tax records. You have our birth dates,” he said a user.
“Why not just give it? Seriously, now it’s not worth worrying about getting $380 all at once. You can do better.”
Eligible residents are encouraged to apply for rebates through the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue website, meucaminho.pa.gov.
Another rebate program in Delaware offers drivers up to $2,500 and has been extended through 2025.
Americans can also claim thousands of dollars this summer to make some improvements to their homes.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
