HARRISBURG – One Valley state representative does not support an increase in the state sales tax. As part of a state budget framework, lawmakers are considering a 20 percent increase in sales tax.
The increase in state sales tax the increase in state sales tax to 7.25 percent is being sold as a way to provide property tax relief, but Rep. Fred Keller (R-85th, Kreamer) says taxpayers are not being told the whole story, “The point is we already have the property tax relief in the form of the gaming money which is about $600 million, but what’s going to happen is that money is going to go over to pensions. And then in the first full year this increase in the sales tax is supposed to generate $2 billion. To me it’s just a big shift.”
Keller says controlling spending is more important than generating additional revenue for Harrisburg, “Just changing the person that pays the bill does not control the spending and when we don’t look at how we control our spending, I don’t care how you fund it, it’s going to become unaffordable to the taxpayers.”
Increasing sales tax will, in Keller’s opinion, put the burden on taxpayers who can least afford it and he does not support the increase. At 7.25 percent, Pennsylvania would have the second-highest sales tax in the nation. (Jennifer Wakeman)