Real estate tax fraud costing Philadelphia $11.5M per year, city controller says in new report

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia city controller says real estate tax fraud is costing the city and the school district nearly $11.5 million a year.

Controller Christy Brady released findings from a special investigation on Wednesday.

It looked specifically at the city's Homestead Exemption program, which is designed to help Philadelphians save money on their real estate taxes.

However, the investigation found 23,000 examples of properties that appear to be wrongfully taking advantage of the program.

The report has been sent to the Office of Property Assessment and the Department of Revenue, along with several recommendations to address the issue.

To read more from the controller's report, visit this page at controller.phila.gov.