PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Officials say a Philadelphia developer seeking a casino license in the city had owed more than $120,000 in taxes to the city before settling his bill last month.
Developer Bart Blatstein tells The Philadelphia Daily News and WHYY radio’s NewsWorks (http://bit.ly/UUup0X ) he learned about the tax issue late last month. He settled the bill on Jan. 25.
Revenue Commissioner Keith Richardson says the city tries to contact property-tax delinquents through both phone calls and letters. He says the city had been taking additional steps to deal with Blatstein’s taxes.
A spokesman for Blatstein says he’s contesting the delinquency.
Blatstein is one of six applicants vying for an open casino license in Philadelphia. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said he couldn’t speculate on whether the matter would affect Blatstein’s candidacy.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
