PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The deadline for the Pennsylvania budget is about a week and a half away. The state is sitting on a significant surplus, but the question of what to do with that money remains a sticking point between legislators.
Gov. Tom Wolf introduced his nearly $44 billion budget proposal earlier this year.
Pennsylvania has an estimated $12 billion surplus right now, which includes federal pandemic money.
Republican legislative leaders warn the proposed increases in spending from Wolf’s proposal would force tax increases in the future.
For example, they warn against spending that locks the state into commitments down the road when the surplus, or other federal help, might not be there.
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Both Democrats and Republicans are behind a reduction of the state’s corporate net income tax, one of the highest rates of its kind in the country. Both chambers have moved bills that would lower the rate, but it’s not 100% clear if the legislature has a plan that the governor would sign off on.
Neither Wolf’s office nor legislative leaders are saying much publicly as the budget process inches forward.
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