House Approves Sustainable Revenue Plan, Sends to Senate

October 2, 2009

Access a Fiscal Note produced by the House Appropriations Committee detailing all the revenue changes in the fiscal code legislation, House Bill 1531.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved a state budget and revenue plan Friday evening that replaces a proposal to assess taxes on small games of chance, nonprofit arts centers and other live performance venues with levies on natural gas production, cigars and smokeless tobacco. The plan will set Pennsylvania on a more sustainable revenue path while preserving essential services for families, children, seniors and Pennsylvania's most vulnerable citizens.

The overall budget number would remain the same as announced weeks ago - $27.945 billion, with a $300 million increase in basic education funding. Still at issue are the revenue measures to fund it.

Now, the bill goes to the Senate. Your calls to Senators could tip the balance in support of a sustainable budget that preserves essential services and ends a three-month-old budget impasse that is hurting Pennsylvanians.

Call your Senator today to ask them to support a natural gas severance tax and an excise tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco. Tell them that you would much rather bring Pennsylvania in line with most other states by assessing taxes on the tobacco and natural gas industries rather than putting a tax on VFWs, churches, museums and nonprofit arts centers.

CLICK HERE for a list of state Senators. (You can scroll down the list to find your Senator or search by zip code in the upper right hand corner.)

Read a letter of support for these revenue proposals sent to lawmakers by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center.