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Three fiscally responsible budgets for 2015-16 were placed on the governor’s desk, none requiring increases in personal income tax or sales tax.
Each budget funded public education at record levels. Further, each fully funded every core state government function including human services and corrections.
Conversely, Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal in March called for $13 billion increases on the backs of Pennsylvania families and businesses in only the first two years. He demanded taking an additional 21 percent more from your pockets in personal income tax, along with 10 percent more in sales tax while calling for an expansion of its base to include daycare, senior care, financial and legal services and many others.
In attempting to do so, Wolf brought back “walking around money” (WAMs) and other discretionary spending eliminated by the Legislature in 2011-12 as enticements to support his increased spending plans. It’s little wonder why InsideGov.com concluded Wolf was the most liberal governor in the nation.
Wolf’s bottom line: Increase taxes without setting forth any accountability on spending. It’s an approach that assumes he knows how to spend your hard-earned money better than you do and that bigger government is the vehicle by which to do so.
The majority of the Legislature thinks otherwise. More of your money belongs in your pocket.
When the Legislature passed the first responsible budget on June 30, 2015, it also passed historic public pension reform to reduce long-term costs to the commonwealth and liquor privatization that increased annual state revenues without a tax increase. Wolf vetoed all three measures, thus manufacturing a six-month crisis to further his insistence for higher taxes.
Wolf should have signed this on-time budget into law and declared victory. To unnecessarily veto the budget entirely was to create chaos as a means to leverage recipients of state tax dollars – like schools, nonprofit agencies and county human service agencies – as hostages.
Today, the sole reason there is state funding for our schools and core functions of government is because the Legislature continued to do its job. The final budget the House passed was $30.263 billion on Dec. 8, 2015, which was then passed in bipartisan fashion by the Senate on Dec. 23, 2015.
Wolf’s demands for harmful tax increases were appropriately stymied and most budget hostages were released as the governor signed nearly 90 percent of this third budget into law – something he could have easily done in June had his goal been to govern.
This current budget funds pre-k through 12th-grade education at record levels, adds money for 350 new state police troopers and increases funding for services to seniors, domestic violence centers, rape crisis centers and services to special needs individuals.
Yet, Wolf called the budget “garbage” and “ridiculous.” The governor’s characterizations are unprofessional and baseless.
Resorting to bombastic declarations, coupled with high-priced public sector union-backed advertising campaigns seems to be the last resort for a governor who has clearly lost any credibility with facts and has no regard for taxpayers’ hard-earned money.
Before he makes yet another ludicrous demand for your money, the governor needs to finalize the 2015-2016 budget without increasing taxes. Further, he needs to commit to signing public sector benefit reform without the Legislature having to “buy” his signature on a spending bill necessitating irresponsible tax hikes. Wolf should sign the reform because it’s the right thing to do.