Taxes: Isn’t $17,000 Per Family of Four Enough?

Pennsylvanians Already Overburdened with State & Local Taxes

December 4, 2015, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Did you know Pennsylvania’s state and local tax burden is more than $17,000 per family of four? This figure may be surprising, but the feeling that families and job creators are overburdened is all too familiar. After having his tax hike plans rejected four times, Gov. Wolf should recognize that the public has no interest in sending even more to Harrisburg.

“Since his budget address 9 months ago, Gov. Wolf has been pushing historic tax increases, leaving Pennsylvanians wondering how much more they’ll have to cut from their budgets to make ends meet,” commented Nathan Benefield, vice president of policy analysis for the Commonwealth Foundation. “Given the tax burden families already face, it’s no wonder Wolf’s plans have been defeated at every turn.”

Pennsylvanians already face a state and local tax burden of $17,496 per family of four (or $4,374 per capita)—the 10th-highest in the nation, according to the latest numbers available from the Tax Foundation.

“Pennsylvania offers compelling evidence of the negative impact of over-taxation and over-spending,” continued Benefield. “From 1991 to 2014, the commonwealth has been at the bottom of the charts in major growth measures, ranking 45th in job growth, 47th in personal income growth, and 48th in population growth. If the eventual budget agreement reflects more the same policies, Pennsylvanians can expect more of the same dismal results.”

“Any tax increase would be a massive lump of coal in taxpayers’ stockings this Christmas season,” Benefield said. “The governor and lawmakers should be trimming their own budget—including cutting corporate welfare, slowing spending growth, and privatizing liquor stores—not grabbing even more of hard-working Pennsylvanians’ earnings.”

Nathan Benefield is available for comment. Please contact Gina Diorio at 862-703-6670 to schedule an interview.

# # #

The Commonwealth Foundation transforms free-market ideas into public policies so all Pennsylvanians can flourish.