Pickett Says ‘No’ to Increased Taxes on PA Residents
HARRISBURG – Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) said today she could not vote in favor of the governor’s multi-billion dollar tax hike – a plan that would doubly hurt residents and small businesses along the Northern Tier in the 110th District.
Pickett joined with her colleagues in overwhelmingly voting down Gov. Tom Wolf’s $3.5 billion tax plan over the next two years, which would include a 16 percent increase in the Personal Income Tax from 3.07 percent to 3.57 percent and the highest severance tax on natural gas production in the country. However, 95 percent of the total tax package would be borne by the income tax increase, which is paid by workers and small businesses.
“Imposing higher taxes on our residents should be a last resort in funding government, not a first step,” Pickett said. “We needed today’s vote to send a clear message to the governor that his broad-based tax increase is not acceptable to those who are paying the bills, nor is his idea for a severance tax, which could wipe out the economic gains we’ve made in this area of the state.”
Under the governor’s proposal, which was announced late Tuesday, a severance tax would be levied at 3.5 percent in addition to another 4.7 cents per thousand cubic feet. With the price of natural gas around $1 per thousand cubic feet, this would equate to about a 14.7 percent effective tax rate. The governor’s plan, though, would keep the state’s impact fee.
“I am hopeful that tomorrow will be a new day in terms of ending this budget impasse,” Pickett added. “This impasse, now in its 99th day, has gone on too long, and I look forward to real negotiations to get a final budget in place and funding flowing to schools, human services and so many others.”
Representative Tina Pickett
110th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jennifer Keaton
(717) 705-2094
jkeaton@pahousegop.com
RepPickett.com /
Facebook.com/RepPickett