Feb. 08, 2022
HARRISBURG – Rep. Rob Mercuri (R-Allegheny) joined his colleagues from the southwest delegation to announce a plan called “A New Day For PA,” a vision for a path forward on how the Commonwealth can maximize its potential with policies to boost the economy, energy sector, education, health care and community safety.
“In Western Pennsylvania, we love winning,” Mercuri said. “However, the Commonwealth isn’t winning right now, and a big reason for that is due to our uncompetitive tax structure. We are currently 43rd in corporate tax and 40th in unemployment tax. There is no better time than now to improve our business climate so we can retain employer growth.”
“We have legislation circulating that would cover a plethora of topics such as simplifying the tax structure and increasing the Corporate Net Loss Deduction limitation,” Mercuri said. “While we have a way to go towards reaching the most optimal economic climate, we have a solid foundation in place that lets others know that Pennsylvania is open for business.”
In contrast, Gov. Tom Wolf offered more of the same failed policies Tuesday when he outlined a $43.7 billion proposal, the largest in Pennsylvania history and a 16.6% increase from the current fiscal year. Mercuri said it’s a figure that’s unsustainable and will pigeonhole Pennsylvania families and the Commonwealth into financial jail now and into the future.
“Based on projections from the Independent Fiscal Office, a nonpartisan government entity, if the governor’s proposal were to become reality, we would head into the 2023-24 fiscal year with an $800 million deficit,” Mercuri said. “We must use funding responsibly so we can come back from the pandemic, fully open our schools and our economy, get back to work to build the next generation of innovative projects and modernizing our government and our society. ‘A New Day For PA’ is the solution Pennsylvania needs.”
To view Rep. Mercuri’s remarks on “A New Day For PA,”
click here.
To view the full plan,
click here.