Chesco Republicans: Wolf's budget too costly

Chester County Republican leaders railed Friday against Gov. Wolf's budget proposal, saying that it would force four-fifths of the school districts statewide to pay more and that county residents would have to shell out $177 million more in new taxes than they might save in property-tax relief.

Gathering at the county courthouse in West Chester, the state and county representatives said they might be willing to consider one aspect of Wolf's plan - a severance tax on natural gas drilling that he has said could generate $1 billion for public schools. But they said the governor's plan depended too much on tax increases and borrowing.

"Gov. Wolf's proposal relies on taxes, which, frankly, may never come to pass and at rates that may never come to pass," State Rep. Tim Hennessey said. "Because it needs the agreement of the legislature. And I think a lot of people are not going to be willing to give him those kinds of increases."

With him were State Reps. Warren Kampf, Duane Milne, Becky Corbin, and Dan Truitt, as well as county Commissioners Terence Farrell and Michelle Kichline.

They said taxpayers in 11 of the county's 12 school districts would pay more in increased taxes under Wolf's plan than they might save in property-tax relief. For example, they said, taxpayers in the West Chester Area School District would pay $52 million. They also lamented Wolf's proposed expansion of the sales tax to include items such as diapers, textbooks, and nursing home care.

Jeff Sheridan, Wolf's spokesman, accused the Republicans of cherry picking information and not taking individual families' situations into account when calculating their taxes.

"The premise of what they're saying is just wrong," Sheridan said Friday. "The governor's tax plan is based on Republican ideas."

According to the Governor's Office, most families, including homeowners who earn up to $100,000, would pay less in taxes.

Wolf's $29.9 billion proposal calls for raising the income tax from 3.07 percent to 3.7 percent and the sales tax from 6 percent to 6.6 percent to pay for property-tax cuts. He also wants to cut corporate taxes, raise the minimum wage, and "modernize" the state liquor store system to pay for the $3 billion he has proposed borrowing to pay for public school employee pensions.

The governor said this week he doubted the state would adopt a budget before the start of the fiscal year on July 1.

In response, House Majority Leader Dave Reed (D., Indiana) said his party's leaders were preparing their own plan that, like Wolf's, would raise state taxes to cut local property taxes. Republicans have also proposed privatizing the liquor store system and have opposed raising the minimum wage.

Corbin said the personal income taxes would hurt small businesses because many are taxed at the personal income rate.

Milne said Wolf's plan would damage Pennsylvania's competitiveness and was "unfair to working families in Chester County and across the state."

"And I think it's a plan that really should be taken back to the Appropriations Committee so we can begin to look at it anew," he said, "and find some more enlightened ways to fund this state budget."