HARRISBURG -- With a deal to reduce property taxes still not completed, political squabbling has broken out between House Republicans and Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell.

House Republicans released a statement yesterday blaming Mr. Rendell for a "total lack of leadership or direction on this very important issue."

That statement followed one 10 days ago by Mr. Rendell, who put the blame on House Speaker John Perzel, R-Philadelphia.

"The time for Speaker Perzel to join [legislative] leaders already working to forge a compromise is now," the governor had said. "Speaker Perzel's lack of involvement is unacceptable."

Mr. Perzel named the two House Republicans who sit on the tax relief panel, along with a House Democrat, two Senate Republicans and one Senate Democrat.

House GOP spokesman Stephen Miskin said the "lack of gubernatorial involvement has left us without property tax relief" even though the House-Senate conference panel has met five times to work toward a compromise.

The latest meeting was yesterday, when no agreement was reached. The panel said it will try again on Monday.

Under a tentative plan, still not put into writing, all state homeowners would get a modest tax reduction each year, averaging in the $200 to $300 range, once an estimated $1 billion in slots revenue begins coming in within about two years.

But the joint panel is trying to give about 250,000 more senior citizens additional relief, either through reduced property taxes or rent rebates. It wants to raise seniors' annual income limit from the current $15,000 to $30,000, but doesn't know yet how much money will be needed to do that.

The panel also wants to provide an additional $45 million "kicker" to help low-income senior citizens who own expensive houses in school districts where tax rates are high. Such elderly persons face a danger of losing their homes because of an inability to pay their taxes, members said. The committee is still costing out that proposal.