Harrisburg, March 3, 2015 – State Sen. Wayne D. Fontana (D-Allegheny) today provided the following statement in response to Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2015-16 state budget proposal:
“Any budget discussion must begin with the fact that the irresponsible policies of the past four years have left our state in a $2 billion-plus budget hole. This caused a jobs deficit, cash flow problems and an embarrassing credit downgrade.
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“I commend Governor Wolf for addressing Pennsylvania’s biggest financial challenges head on. Now is the time for members of the General Assembly to roll up their sleeves and get to work on shaping this blueprint into a balanced and sustainable spending plan.”
“I am pleased with the governor’s commitment to cutting property taxes, restoring funding to our schools and colleges, and stoking job and business growth. This budget invests over $1.6 billion into wide ranging job training and economic development initiatives. During the Corbett years, Pennsylvania had fallen from the top 10 in job creation to last. I am encouraged by our new governor’s determination to change that.
“Ranging from doing away with the unfair Delaware loophole to significant cuts to the Corporate Net Income tax and phase-out of the Capital Stock and Franchise tax, I also support Governor Wolf’s efforts to cut and simplify business taxes to spur additional investment and growth.
“Now that the budget is in the legislature’s hands, it is imperative that we check our party affiliation at the door. If lawmakers oppose the governor’s budget proposals, they need to demonstrate the courage to either identify alternative revenue streams or specify what additional cuts they would make to balance this budget.”
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