Jun. 22, 2016
Legislation will bring in $150 million in revenue
HARRISBURG – State Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) and Sen. Scott Wagner (R-York) today praise the passage of House Bill 1888 sponsored by state Rep. Marguerite Quinn (R-Bucks) in the House of Representatives. The legislation would re-institute a tax amnesty plan, where taxpayers who owe back taxes would benefit from reduced penalties and interest payments—if they make payments on their owed taxes within a defined 60-day window. The legislation passed with strong bipartisan support, 167 to 28.
Early estimations from the Department of Revenue suggest that nearly $150 million in back taxes could be recouped by the Commonwealth through a tax amnesty plan. The Commonwealth previously instituted two tax amnesty programs, in 1995-6 which generated $93 million in revenue and in 2010 that generated over $250 million in revenue. This legislation was included as a policy proposal by the Taxpayers’ Caucus report, a bicameral group of legislators who are working to increase efficiencies in government and find savings for taxpayers. Grove and Wagner are co-chairs of the Taxpayers’ Caucus.
Grove and Wagner released the following statement regarding the passage of House Bill 1888.
“This legislation is an excellent step forward to balancing our budget with non-tax revenue. This proposal was included as part of our Taxpayers’ Caucus report and we are glad to see that the House has swiftly taken action to adopt it. We hope the Senate will also swiftly adopt this legislation. We applaud Rep. Quinn for her leadership and thank her for putting the taxpayers first.”
“House Bill 1888 will bring in nearly $150 million in non-tax revenue—which will protect taxpayers and is pivotal to beginning to change the culture of Harrisburg, to ensure that we are looking for all potential savings and efficiencies before considering tax increases. Together, with many of our colleagues in the House and Senate, we are working to show budgetary restraint and be faithful stewards of taxpayer money and change the status quo in Harrisburg.”
Electronic copies of the Taxpayers’ Caucus report are available at RepGrove.com and SenatorScottWagner.com.
Representative Seth Grove
196th District
Media Contact: Eric Reath
717.260.6187
ereath@pahousegop.com
Senator Scott Wagner
28th District
Media Contact: Jason High
717.787.3817