Gov. Tom Wolf is asking Pennsylvania lawmakers to approve $4 billion in higher taxes and new taxes to help boost school aid and shift education funding away from local property taxes.
In an address to a joint session of the Legislature Tuesday morning, the new governor is proposing raising the sales tax for the first time in nearly 50 years, to 6.6 percent from the current 6 percent.
Overall, the Democrat wants to increase state spending from $29 billion to $33.7 billion - an increase of 16 percent.
The governor says the proposed tax hikes and a simultaneous cut in property taxes would reduce the tax burden on the average middle-class homeowner by 13 percent.
Wolf says his plan draws from both Democratic and Republican party ideas. Above all, he says, it recognizes that Pennsylvania will not improve until we rebuild the middle class.''
State Rep. Mike Schlossberg (D-Lehigh) issued the following statement in response to Gov. Wolf's budget address:
"The past four years have been an abysmal failure for our state. Pennsylvania’s credit is in shambles, job creation continues to be at or near the bottom in the United States, property taxes have increased 20 percent in the Allentown School District, and there are 400 fewer teachers educating our youth in community schools.
"Tom Wolf came to office understanding that the previous administration kicked the can down the road too many times, and he acknowledges the need for change. Last summer I said we would have a fiscal day of reckoning in 2015 because it is simply fiscally irresponsible to continue on the path we are on. I have always believed that fiscal responsibility is more than just not spending; it's being able to invest in the future.
"Governor Wolf's plan does just that and will allow Allentown to stop laying off teachers and even bring teachers back into the classroom. I also commend the governor for addressing real property tax reform, as the previous administration's refusal to properly fund education has placed an increased burden on homeowners and small-business owners.
"I look forward to closely reviewing this budget to see how it might benefit Allentown and South Whitehall taxpayers. However, I will say that it's madness to think that we can cut or sell our way out of the $2.3 billion budget deficit Tom Corbett created. It is insanity to continue to stick Allentown School District taxpayers with skyrocketing property tax increases, and it is inhumane to continue to fail to invest in the future of our students. This budget is a good first step to correcting these problems and I look forward to restoring Pennsylvania’s greatness."
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