Governor Tom Wolf just released his budget address for 2021.
It was delivered remotely form the governor's residence in Harrisburg instead of the Capitol chambers.
Under the plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1, Wolf, a Democrat, is asking the Republican-controlled Legislature to increase the personal income tax to raise what his office estimated to be $4 billion over a full-year, or about 25% more.
"The real question is whether everybody is paying a fair share," said Wolf. "And whether we are all getting our money's worth. The truth is, the answer to both questions right now is 'no.'"
The cash would go to public schools and to help fill a multi-billion dollar deficit inflicted by the pandemic.
He said Pennsylvania has one of the lowest tax rates in the country, but his plan doesn't raise taxes across the board.
"We need to stop asking working families to pay the same tax rate my family does." Wolf continued, "I want to help working families get ahead by reducing their taxes.
"This isn't about pitting the rich against the poor and the middle class. This is about folks who have already made it, to shoulder a little more of the burden so that folks who haven't made it yet have a better chance to do that."
According to his plan, married families with two children earning less than $84,000 a year would get a tax cut. He also wants to cut taxes for Pennsylvania businesses by 25%.
Raising the income tax would allow Wolf to use $1.35 billion — a 20% boost — to help fix long-term inequities in how the state funds public schools.
He said "Far too many parents across the Commonwealth - Westmoreland County, Fulton County, in Tioga County, in Philadelphia County and beyond - they all felt like the opportunities available to their kids would be determined less by their talent and more by their zip code."
Wolf delivered his annual budget address to lawmakers today by a pre-recorded video.