Taxation

Will Pennsylvania’s governor, Tom Wolf–the most liberal governor in America according to the nonpartisan website InsideGov–finally agree to a budget framework and budget to end a nearly six month delay he has caused? He promised to try and get the budget done by Thanksgiving–but you know all about politicians and promises. That promise is now out the door. The latest news we’ve been able to locate says Wolf’s plan to hike the sales tax in order to give a break on property taxes is now dead. The one thing that every news account we read says is this: Wolf is promising to resurrect the issue of a Marcellus Shale severance next year and every year thereafter of what we predict will be a very short tenure as PA’s governor. Wolf is fixated on raiding drillers and landowners in order to transfer their hard-earned money to those who don’t earn money–teachers unions…
Read More “Wolf Can’t Get Current Budget Done, Vows Severance Tax Next Year”

Pennsylvania Democrats are unhappy with their governor. They were all jazzed and giddy at the thought of taxing Republicans (i.e. drilling companies) to raise mountains of money for Big Education (i.e. Democrat voters). In the end, Gov. Tom Wolf had to settle for taxing other Democrats because, as Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman says, the drilling industry is “on its back” and more taxes would shut it down. Lack of a Marcellus Shale tax makes PA Dems grumpy–because they themselves (and their voters) will now pay for Wolf’s rash promise to Big Education. Hey, how does that shoe feel when it’s on your own foot, Lib Dems?…
Read More “PA Lib Dems Don’t Like Paying High Education Tax Themselves”

Must be Pennsylvania’s liberal Democrats, like those in the Harrisburg Patriot-News news room, thought Tom Wolf was the Second Coming of Barack Hussein Obama. They actually thought that Wolf could jam huge tax increases, including a Marcellus Shale severance tax, down the throats of PA Republicans in the state legislature. Somehow (thank the Good Lord) Republicans grew a spine and resisted the withering pressure and harassment of Dems and their media organs, including the Patriot-News. So we thought is noteworthy (and funny) when the editorial board at the Patriot-News essentially turned on one of their own, Tom Wolf, and threw him and his budget deal with Republicans under the bus…
Read More “PA LibDems Turn On/Attack Wolf Over No Severance Tax Budget”

Yet another mass delusion campaign has begun to convince Pennsylvanians that what just happened didn’t happen. And what just happened? Newly-elected neophyte Gov. Tom Wolf didn’t get anything important he wanted in the budget deal that’s quickly taking form–except for getting the second highest sales tax rate in the country. That he got, and he’s trying to spin that as a big positive. What is Wolf, and a sycophantic, servile mainstream media, saying? “He hung tough. He didn’t get everything, but by gaw he got a lot of it and it’s all good for the state. Yeah he didn’t get a Marcellus severance tax, but pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! Wolf got all this other great stuff for the teachers’ unions to pay them back for supporting him and everybody loves Wolf. You’re gonna love it–just you wait and see.” That about sums up the tone and style of “reporting” on the deal. Meanwhile, some rather honest Republicans from the Altoona area are saying, (1) the budget deal is most certainly not done yet, (2) schools are a never-ending sinkhole for money–they want more money in good times and bad, and (3) if the state had implemented a severance tax, it would have finished off the Marcellus industry where drilling is now at a minimum even without the extra tax. Wow, what a breath of fresh air to hear politicians who tell the truth…
Read More “Wolf Says You’ll Love the Budget Deal; Repubs Say, What Deal?”

It appears the fat lady is getting ready to sing with respect to no severance tax in Pennsylvania–at least for this year. The Republicans have won–kudos to them for hanging tough against the unreasonable Marcellus severance tax proposed by a neophyte governor attempting to pay off a political debt to teachers’ unions. There will be no new severance tax this year. Wolf has found another way to pay off the teachers–he’s going to siphon slot machine money for a big boost in education funding. The teachers’ unions don’t care–money is green and spends the same whether it comes from shale or slots. While a final deal is not yet done (let’s not count our chickens just yet), it does appear the outline of a budget deal, now more than five months late, is in place and moving toward passage in the next few weeks. Here’s the details…
Read More “Huge Victory for PA Republicans – NO Severance Tax in Budget Deal!”

Several weeks ago MDN highlighted a story that the stubborn, obstinate, in-over-his-head Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf can’t govern. That was the title of an article running in Philadelphia Magazine: “No, Tom Wolf Can’t Govern Pennsylvania” (see our story PA Budget/Severance Tax Talks Resume Today – Without Gov. Wolf). Wolf refuses to compromise on a nosebleed shale severance tax, which has held up the state budget since the end of June. The man can’t compromise, and frankly, he can’t govern either. The Philly Magazine article had it right. Like a petulant child, first a Wolf spokesman and then Wolf himself phoned up that reporter to tell him to get his Democrat head screwed on straight and to quit telling the truth…
Read More “PA Gov. Wolf Lectures Dem Reporter: Yes I Can Govern, I Can I Can!”

Last week 17 top Marcellus Shale-related executives–including those from CONSOL Energy, Chevron, Huntley & Huntley, MarkWest Energy, Williams and Columbia Pipeline Group–sent a letter to the Pennsylvania legislature and to PA Gov. Tom Wolf. The letter point blank said don’t slap a new/high severance tax on Marcellus Shale in addition to the already-high tax (called an impact fee). We couldn’t find a copy of the letter to share with you. However, we do have reaction from America’s most liberal governor, Tom Wolf, whose office responded with the “same tired argument” always trotted out by Wolf: he still wants to tax shale to give the money away to teachers’ unions in return for electing him to office. We don’t know how many times we have to say this: these are not empty threats by the industry. The industry is telling Wolf exactly what will happen if he institutes the tax–they’ll leave town…
Read More “Biggest Companies in Marcellus Warn Wolf: No New Severance Tax”

“No, really, I don’t have a drinking problem,” says the alcoholic who believes just one more drink won’t hurt. Such is the power of denial. That’s the analogy that went through our heads when we read this headline: “Wolf Says Legislators In Denial.” Wolf, the taxaholoic, is the one who is in denial. He’s not listening–to Republicans or to people in his own Democrat Party. Pennsylvanians don’t want his high tax “fix” of the budget. But Wolf is, choose your adjective: obstinate…obtuse…clueless…desperate. That last one is the most likely–desperate to pay back the teachers’ unions that elected him. He can’t afford to not boost taxes–on everyone and everything (especially the Marcellus Shale)–in order to fork big money over to Big Education. Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats together are working on a bi-partisan budget that they intend to pass without Wolf–with a veto-proof majority. Wolf is toast. He can’t govern, and he’s proved it. Time to govern around him…
Read More “Republicans/Dems Make Progress on PA Budget Without Taxaholic Wolf”

Shhh. We have to whisper for this bit of news. Pennsylvania state budget talks began yesterday–“quietly” according to mainstream (Democrat) media. Staffers from no less than four House and Senate caucuses met yesterday, and will continue their meetings today and tomorrow, to see if they can hammer out a compromise budget. The dirty little secret is that no Gov. Wolf staffers are invited. Republicans and Democrats will work out the budget without Wolf and then let Wolf pretend it was all his idea in the first place. That’s how mainstream media covers for one of their own who’s gone off the rails as much as Wolf has. WORD IS (shhh! keep your voice down)…(oops, sorry)…word is that the budget negotiators will first agree how much extra spending they can get away with–put a number to it. After that they’ll figure out how they will raise insane amounts of new revenue to pay for it all. Yes, a potential severance tax is (unfortunately) still alive and kicking. We hope and trust Republicans will hold true and refuse any new taxes on the Marcellus Shale industry…
Read More “Shhh…PA Budget Talks Begin Again “Quietly” — Without Gov. Wolf”

Wow. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is as stubborn about wanting to raise PA taxes as a jackass–his party’s mascot. Wolf’s latest proposed budget was voted down last week–with nine Democrats in the House voting against it (see PA Gov Wolf’s High Tax Budget Goes Down to Defeat – 9 Dems Against). Wolf’s proposed tax grab was described by Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, as a thug trying to mug somebody, taking all of their money at gunpoint. The vote was a total humiliation of the in-over-his-head Wolf. Even fawning liberals are now turning on Wolf–describing him as stubborn (their words, not ours). Has the recent vote and criticism made Wolf more likely to now compromise with Republicans to craft a budget that doesn’t hit middle income workers quite so hard? Nope. Even though negotiators will be back at the table today to talk about the budget, yesterday Wolf went on a radio program to say he’s not “caving” on his insistence that high taxes be part of the budget. He’s gone completely bonkers–off his rocker. Perhaps they need to consider a straight jacket?…
Read More “PA Budget/Severance Tax Talks Resume Today – Without Gov. Wolf”