Taxpayers Win As Wolf Allows Budget to Become Law
Gov. Abandons 2015-16 Tax Hikes, Releases Record Funding for Cash-Strapped Schools
March 23, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—After keeping Pennsylvania in budget gridlock for 267 days while holding out for record-high tax increases, Gov. Wolf announced today that he will allow a no-tax-hike budget to become law. The $30 billion spending plans includes a $200 million increase in education funding over 2014-15 levels.
Matthew Brouillette, president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, released the following statement:
Governor Wolf did the right thing by allowing this balanced budget to become law. Unfortunately, this comes after months of gridlock and schools being forced to the brink of closure, all in his quest for higher taxes.
We applaud lawmakers for standing up for taxpayers’ interests in the face of immense pressure. The message of today’s announcement is clear: Pennsylvanians want smarter spending, not more spending fueled by tax hikes. There simply is no appetite for broad-based tax increases. There hasn’t been for the past nine months, and there isn’t as we move forward into the 2016-17 budget negotiations.
Today is a victory for taxpayers who will be spared crushing tax hikes, for students and teachers who will get the funding they’ve been pleading for, and for all Pennsylvanians, who now have a budget that spends responsibly.
Wolf’s decision will end the longest budget impasse in 60 years—an impasse he set off by rejecting the budget in full on June 30, 2015.
Matthew Brouillette and other Commonwealth Foundation experts are available for comment. Please contact Gina Diorio at 862-703-6670 or gld@commonwealthfoundation.org to schedule an interview.
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