Santora Disappointed Wolf’s Budget Lacks Transparency in Education Funding
HARRISBURG – Rep. James R. Santora (R-Delaware) joined the majority of his colleagues in the state House today in a bipartisan vote against Gov. Tom Wolf’s tax plan, which would have raised taxes by billions of dollars on Commonwealth citizens. His plan sought to increase the Personal Income Tax (PIT) by 16 percent from 3.07 percent to 3.57 percent.
“Earlier this week, I met with the governor, eager to have an open conversation about the budget and how we could achieve a compromise,” Santora said. “I learned about the components of his new plan and shared suggestions about what would make it more palatable for me. Unfortunately, Gov. Wolf did not take my suggestions. For example, I was told by his staff that he could not commit to $400 million for education, the same $400 million that he originally requested and that Republicans offered. With such educational uncertainties in the budget, I could not support it.”
The governor promoted an extraction tax to fund education. His tax plan would have imposed a 3.5 percent extraction tax with an additional charge of 4.7 cents per thousand cubic feet in addition to the nearly $225 million paid annually by natural gas drillers in Act 13 impact fees.
“My concern with the extraction tax – the $67 million that we’ll see this year as opposed to the $1 billion that Wolf said we’d benefit from – is the lack of commitment that the funds will be fully dedicated to funding basic education, kindergarten through twelfth grade. Education is a top priority in the 163rd District, so when talking to the governor, I really wanted to hear that he shared that priority,” Santora said.
Also missing from the governor’s plan was a commitment to real property tax relief. The plan included an expansion of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, but the expansion would not have taken effect until July 2017 despite the PIT increase being effective Jan. 1, 2016. Additionally, less than two percent of the population would have enjoyed any relief.
“The governor’s plan would have met a great need of residents in the 163rd District if it included dollar-for-dollar property tax relief, and I am disappointed that he did not adjust his plan following the conversations we had,” Santora said.
“The governor has ideas that could benefit the Commonwealth, but they cannot be paired with a 16 percent increase in personal income taxes for homeowners who already struggle to pay exorbitant property taxes,” Santora added. “By being clear about what the budget can accomplish, we can best achieve the compromise that our Commonwealth so desperately needs. I look forward to continuing to work with the governor to pass the budget and save our residents from this terrible situation.”
Representative James R. Santora
163rd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Alison Evans
717.260.6206
aevans@pahousegop.com
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