Very strange
What’s up with Gov. Tom Wolf?
Wolf got his wish recently as Republican leaders of the state Legislature agreed to allow a vote on his budget. They also said Wolf could lobby GOP lawmakers who would then be free to vote for or against the plan as they saw fit.
The two sides have been in the middle of a bitter stalemate since Gov. Wolf vetoed the GOP budget back in late June. Since the state didn’t have a budget by its July 1 deadline, it no longer has the power to spend money, causing severe problems for social service agencies and school districts.
But, for whatever reason, Wolf is not including his original proposal to reduce school property taxes as part of his newest plan. And that decision undoubtedly will reduce any chances that GOP lawmakers will support his plan.
During his budget address last winter, Wolf said that he wanted to see school property taxes reduced in exchange for increases in the sales and personal income taxes. While there was some controversy over the sizes of the tax increases and how much money would go to education, there seemed to be a general agreement in the Legislature that property taxes had to go. It’s certainly one of the most unpopular levies out there, especially among senior citizens, some of whom must sell their homes because they can no longer afford the annual increases in their school property taxes.
Reducing school property taxes was the one thing that Wolf and GOP lawmakers agreed on even if they differed on the details. The hope was they might be able to compromise on such a measure and it could lead to an eventual budget deal between the two sides.
But by not putting the measure on the table, it seems quite unlikely that any GOP lawmaker will agree to Wolf’s latest proposal, which now includes putting a severance tax on the Marcellus shale industry and increasing personal income and sales taxes with most of the money going toward education spending.
Wolf’s pitch for a severance tax has always drawn fierce opposition from Republican lawmakers, including state Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Perryopolis, state Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Bullskin Township, and state Sen. Camera Bartollota, R-Monongahela.
But they were also outspoken about eliminating school property taxes, and it’s possible that Wolf might have been able to strike a deal with them and other GOP lawmakers on the issue.
But those hopes are dashed. Warner, Stefano and Bartolotta have all said they definitely won’t vote for Wolf’s proposal as it stands now. Wolf is apparently banking on getting help from GOP lawmakers out east on the severance tax proposal since the Marcellus shale industry isn’t a factor in their areas. But without any form of tax relief, Wolf’s proposal is going to be a hard sell for them as well. In fact, Wolf will probably have a tough time getting support from Democratic lawmakers nevermind GOP legislators.
It’s just hard to believe that Wolf doesn’t realize the uphill task he’s taking on. And why would he take away the one piece of leverage he had in trying to reduce school property taxes, especially since he had talked about it so much? However, it’s just the latest miscalculation and lapse of judgment that both sides have shown during the budget fiasco. Instead of sitting down and really trying to work out a compromise, Wolf and the Republicans have talked around and over each other, trying to score political points more than anything.
Unfortunately, no one knows when it’s going to end. The two sides are so caught up in their own partisan arguments that it’s very difficult to see how they’ll be able to compromise on anything.
The sad fact, though, is that they won’t bear the brunt of their shortcomings. The people who suffer the most will be the poor, the young and the aged. The governor and the legislators will continue to go about their business as usual to the detriment of all Pennsylvanians.