Jan. 15, 2016

HARRISBURG – After a long year of fiscal wrangling in which Gov. Tom Wolf claimed massive income and sales tax hikes were necessary to balance the 2015-16 state budget, Rep. Rick Saccone (R-Allegheny/Washington) is working on a proposal that would prove the governor wrong.

“In the current down economy, our citizens simply can’t afford the large-scale tax increases demanded by the governor,” said Saccone. “My constituents have had to do a lot of belt tightening the past few years; it’s time for state government to do the same. The people want lawmakers to cut spending before asking them for another dime of their money, and the plan I am laying out would do just that.”

The Saccone proposal would be for fiscal year 2016-17, which begins July 1. Under his plan, state spending would be cut by 1 percent across the board. The result would be a $29.96 billion budget, some $300 million less than this year’s $30.26 billion spend number.

State revenues are projected at $29.98 billion for the new fiscal year, meaning the Saccone plan would require no tax increases and run a surplus of nearly $200 million.

“With inflation, stagnant wages and no Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, many Pennsylvanians have successfully trimmed their own personal budgets by 1 percent or more,” said Saccone. “Surely government can do the same. A 1 percent spending reduction would overburden no single state agency while saving the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Saccone pledged to scrutinize the budget line by line in search of wasteful expenditures. One area Saccone said could be trimmed by more than 1 percent is the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Inexplicably, the largely ceremonial office saw an increase of 18 percent last year, an amount Saccone would cut in half.

“My plan is responsive to the will of the people, who have been desperately pleading for us to cut government waste,” Saccone added. “A minor, across-the-board cut of 1 percent would foster innovation in government, fund state services at acceptable levels and give taxpayers the break they deserve."

For more information, please visit RepSaccone.com or Facebook.com/RepSaccone.

Representative Rick Saccone
39th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Ryan Travis, 717.260.6335
rtravis@pahousegop.com
RepSaccone.com / Facebook.com/RepSaccone
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