Statewide PA

Hats off to the Republican-controlled House and Senate in Pennsylvania. They passed a budget on time, before the midnight deadline last evening, and that budget contains just one new tax. Fortunately, it’s not a Marcellus Shale severance tax. So, kudos! However, the budget was not signed by PA Gov. Tom Corbett, also a Republican. He didn’t sign not because it because it didn’t include certain pension reforms he wants. One thing that the Democrats really wanted and the Republicans were only too happy to grant them: A new $2 per pack tax on cigarettes sold in Philadelphia, which is supposed to raise $80 million for Philly schools. Wait til they figure out everyone is fleeing to the suburbs to buy cheap cigs and the new tax fails!…
Read More “PA Budget Passes House & Senate with No Severance Tax”

We continue to be concerned about PA Gov. Tom Corbett’s resolve when it comes to slapping a Marcellus-killing severance tax on drillers in the state in order to fund a state budget that’s simply spends too much. Our latest concern is with comments he made to an AP reporter yesterday…
Read More “Corbett Still Says Marcellus Severance Tax a Possibility, if…”

Why is it Democrats demand that Republicans cave on their principles and move in their direction and if they don’t, they holler and scream “you’re not being bipartisan!”? But when Republicans ask Democrats to be reasonable and move an inch in their direction, the Dems never do and yet the word “bipartisan” and lack of it is never uttered by the Democrat-controlled media? We’re speaking of the heated budget debate in Pennsylvania where Democrats are demanding a single industry–shale drilling–be taxed into oblivion in order to feed the hungry Democrat political machine that needs ever more money to spread around. To their credit, PA’s House Republicans have “laid their cards on the table” in the budget debate. They’ve done the hard work and have trimmed the budget–just a small bit off a $29.1 BILLION budget–and every single Democrat in very partisan fashion voted against the plan. Every-single-one…
Read More “Brave PA House Republicans Propose Budget with No Severance Tax”

With Pennsylvania Republicans starting to get weak knees on the issue of a potential sky high severance tax on top of already-high corporate state income taxes, PA’s three big shale drilling industry groups have sent a letter to key state politicians warning them (in flowery language) that if they pass a severance tax, drillers WILL shift their rigs and drilling to Ohio and West Virginia. The letter (copy embedded below) tells House Speaker Sam Smith and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and nine other legislators, with a copy of the letter also going to Gov. Corbett, PA better think twice and thrice before passing a severance tax…
Read More “3 PA Drilling Assoc. Warn Politicans: Don’t Pass Severance Tax”

Let’s speak very plainly. If Republican Gov. Tom Corbett signs a budget with a new high tax aimed at the drilling industry–he’s political toast. He will not win re-election and his political career will be over. Unfortunately it seems he is listening to the RINOs around him and his resolve is wavering. Don’t do it Tom. Don’t listen to them. The future of your state and this country is at stake…
Read More “PA Gov. Corbett’s Re-election in Doubt if Severance Tax Passes”

A Republican in Name Only (RINO) in the PA House, Gene DiGirolamo (greater Philadelphia area), yesterday introduced House Bill 2358 that would make it legal for the state to steal money from a single industry and give it away to groups of people who didn’t earn it. It’s called a severance tax and the money raised from such a tax would be used for anything and everything but the impacts that happen from mining natural gas and oil. The arrogant DiGirolamo is all proud of himself for introducing this abomination…
Read More “RINO Introduces 4.9% Severance Tax Bill in PA House”