Oct. 07, 2015
HARRISBURG – Rep. Sue Helm (R-Dauphin/Lebanon) today joined a majority of her colleagues in the House of Representatives in rejecting Gov. Tom Wolf’s revenue proposal for the 2015-16 state budget, which included an income tax hike and a severance tax on Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry. The House vote was to 73 to 127.
Helm issued the following statement in regard to the defeat of the Wolf tax package:
“Constituents do not want and cannot afford a 16 percent income tax increase. It was unfair and unrealistic that 95 percent of the governor’s latest tax proposal would have been paid by the hard-working families of Pennsylvania. The tax hike would have also hurt more than 225,000 small business owners and reduced the working capital they need to maintain operations.
“As for his proposed severance tax, the governor is not telling the people of Pennsylvania that the state currently imposes an impact fee on the gas companies that has generated more than $800 million since it was enacted for the communities where the drilling occurs.
“We are heading in the right direction with our budget numbers, but there are other ways to pay for it. The governor needs to take a closer look at gaming and liquor privatization, which would both generate revenue and not tax our constituents.
“The governor got his answer today – there is not enough support for his tax package. I would urge him to now return to the table to earnestly negotiate a final budget that makes sense for the Commonwealth and its citizens.”
The governor’s plan called for a 16 percent increase in the Personal Income Tax, from 3.07 percent to 3.57 percent.
Wolf’s severance tax proposal would have been in addition to the impact fee already paid by drilling companies. Combined, the two levies would have resulted in a 14.7 percent tax rate, the highest in the nation.
Additionally, the governor wanted to expand the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, providing rebates of up to $2,000 annually to eligible senior citizens and persons with disabilities. However, a majority of the Commonwealth’s property owners would have seen no tax relief under the Wolf proposal.
For more information on Helm and her legislative priorities, please visit
SueHelm.net or
Facebook.com/RepHelm.
Representative Sue Helm
104th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Andy Briggs
717.260.6474
abriggs@pahousegop.com
SueHelm.net /
Facebook.com/RepHelm