Delaware Governor John Carney has told lawmakers he will not further delay debate on a package of tax and fee breaks for casinos, according to a report in usaonlinecasino.com.
Carney had asked the state Senate Finance Committee in March to temporarily shelve Senate Bill 144 until after the state received revenue reports on franchise and personal income taxes. Last week, he gave lawmakers the green light to proceed.
The bill would change the state slot revenue tax from 43 percent to a sliding scale ranging from 32 percent to 43.5 percent, slash the revenue tax on table games from 30 percent to 15 percent, and eliminate the annual $3 million table-game licensing fee.
The three racinos have been begging the state for tax relief for years, as they have been struggling against new competition in Maryland and Pennsylvania. So far, the legislature has shot the request down every year since the formation of a blue-ribbon panel of state and industry officials first proposed the tax breaks four years ago.
State Senator Brian Bushweller, the bill’s primary sponsor, has argued that failing to grant the casinos tax relief puts 3,000 jobs at risk, as Dover Downs and others have threatened layoffs if the tax structure is not altered.
