House Begins Debate On Wolf's Proposal To Tax Income, Drilling
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Gov. Tom Wolf's tax proposal is being debated in the state House of Representatives in the first-term Democrat's effort to break Pennsylvania's 3-month-old budget impasse.
Lawmakers began consideration of the plan Wednesday morning, less than a day after Wolf laid out the revised plan to raise billions to close a budget gap and boost aid to education and human services.
Wolf wants a half-percentage point increase in the state's personal income tax rate and a new extraction tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.
He's aiming to raise $1.4 billion for the fiscal year that began July 1, and $2.4 billion the year after.
Democrats are in the House minority, so Wolf needs at least 18 votes for passage from a Republican majority that's generally resistant to tax increases.
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