UNDATED — The state budget is a hot topic for politicians and residents alike, and House Majority Policy Committee Chairman Kerry Benninghoff (R-171st, Bellefonte) says the conversation doesn’t end with the governor’s proposal.
Republican Benninghoff says Governor Tom Wolf’s proposed budget is too aggressive, “It’s just a little concerning that it took 200 years to get the state budget to 20-billion, an additional $8-billion under Governor Rendell and another 2-billion under Governor Corbett, and the current administration wants to raise 8-billion in the next two years. For the average taxpayers, a couple billion here and a billion there is a little hard to get their arms wrapped around. I would tell you to look at one number — and we’re talking about a budget that is going to spend $1,071 per second, per hour, per day every, day of the year.”
Benninghoff says there are things in Wolf’s proposed budget that make sense, “The governor has some good ideas, as far as some of the tax structures that he wants to try to lower. Pennsylvania is commonly known as a dual tax state, that does not make it very attractive for other companies to want to come here. We would like to eliminate that final phase out, and Governor Wolf has pledged to do that — and I commend him for that.”
Benninghoff says both sides will need to make compromises. The Republicans will need to vote for some things they don’t want to, and the governor will need to sign some things he doesn’t want to sign. Benninghoff was a guest on WKOK’s On The Mark program Tuesday. You can hear more about the budget and gambling in PA here. (Codi Jade)