PA Budget Deal Means Pledge-Breaking

Today GrassrootsPA features the five Pennsylvania lawmakers who signed, then violated, Americans For Tax Reform’s pledge to “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to raise taxes“.

Senator Jane Orie (R-40), and four House democrats, Casorio (D-56), George (D-74), Grucela (D-137), and Harhai (D-58) voted for various tax bills that would raise taxes on cigarettes and job-creators by slowing the phase-out of (and retroactively increasing) the Capital and Franchise Tax (sounds like a broad based tax to me).

In addition to ATR, other national taxpayer advocates are calling out PA lawmakers for hiking taxes during a recession.

  • Freedomworks released a call to action saying there is no reason the state can’t cut its spending when taxpayers have been forced to cut their own budgets.
  • The American Conservative Union urged Pennsylvania lawmakers to, “avoid putting additional burdens on the Pennsylvania economy.”