7,000 MORE BERKS COUNTY SENIORS GETTING PROPERTY TAX REBATES

          Harrisburg, September 28, 2007 -- With three months remaining before the deadline to apply for "2006 tax year" rebates, more than 7,000 additional Berks County seniors are already being helped by the state's dramatically expanded Property Tax and Rent Rebate (PTRR) Program.
          "Through the beginning of September, Berks County was among the top five counties in the state in the number of senior citizens who are now getting up to $650 in property tax and rent rebates under our expanded program.  A total of 16,746 Berks County homeowners and renters have already signed up this year, compared to 9,460 who received rebates last year.  So far, that's a 177 percent -- or 7,286 -- increase over the prior year," Senator O'Pake said.
          Most of the additional rebate recipients are homeowners, the Senator added, noting that a total of 11,465 eligible Berks County homeowners are getting property tax rebates this year compared to 4,474 last year.
          O'Pake said Berks County is "ahead of much of the rest of the state in receiving rebate applications from newly qualified property tax and rent rebate recipients.  We're at 71.2 percent of the administration's projection of 16,095 Berks County homeowners who are eligible.  Regardless, if you qualify and you haven't yet applied, there's still time.  The application deadline has been extended until December 31, 2007, for rebates against property taxes or rent paid in 2006," O'Pake advised.
          The PTRR Program, which aids seniors 65 and older, widows and widowers 50 and older, and disabled adults, underwent the largest expansion in the program's 35-year history last year.  The program's income eligibility limit for qualifying homeowners was more than doubled from $15,000 to $35,000 (with one-half of Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits not counted in the income calculation).  The maximum rebate was increased from the previous $500 to $650.  Applications for the program are available by contacting the Senator's office at 610-929-2151, by calling toll-free at 1-888-222-9190, or by visiting www.papropertytaxrelief.com on the Internet.
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