WILKES-BARRE -- Two Luzerne County Council members are among the hundreds of property owners believed to be getting the so-called Homestead Tax Exemption on multiple properties when it's only available for one.
Those council members are Harry Haas and Eileen Sorokas. Records show both have multiple properties where they received tax breaks, but should only have received the break for one property each. Now council is calling for changes in the tax assessment office.
The Homestead Tax Exemption was meant to encourage folks to buy a home, explained David Pedri, the Luzerne County solicitor.
“Obviously you`re only entitled to one and it has to be for your primary residence,” Pedri said.
“I think that was a shock to everybody,” said Haas.
Two county council members have been receiving multiple exemptions, about $57 a property, per year, including county councilman Harry Haas.
Reporter: “Do you plan to repay the county back?”
“Absolutely. Why anybody would want to illegally take $50 a year to put their professional, political and general reputation at stake doesn't make any sense to me,” Haas said.
County Councilwoman Eileen Sorokas also filed multiple tax exemption applications, but declined comment until the controller`s office completes its audit of 8,600 homestead tax exemptions over the last five years.
County council believes there could be hundreds of people double dipping.
To receive the exemption, the primary resident of a home must fill out a form that asks, “Do you use this property as your primary residence?” The form does not explicitly say the primary resident can only fill out one form. Some like Haas said they received two.
“To find out we have an extra homestead, makes absolutely no sense to me. Then why would you have an unsolicited paper?” Haas said.
County council members said they`re also looking into changes at the tax assessment office, which they say may need more staffing.
“We've only been dedicating one person to it. That's a major problem,” said Jim Bobeck.
The country controllers office is investigating the last five years of county homestead and says those who double or triple dipped will have to repay the county.
