Thousands of Philadelphia properties are improperly receiving tax relief, and could cost the city and its school district a combined loss of $11.4 million each year, the City Controller’s Office announced Wednesday.

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

The city controller says real estate tax fraud is costing the city and school district millions of dollars every year. The controller issued the finding after investigating alleged abuse of the homestead exemption.

Philadelphia’s popular real estate tax relief benefit – costs the city’s government and schools more than $11 million a year, the City Controller’s Office estimated in a report published Wednesday. Investigators from the controller’s office used data-mining tools and municipal records to identify 23,