President Obama’s Tax-And-Spending Effect On Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG — Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding the effect of the Obama tax increases on state revenues.

“The effects of the Obama tax increases are being felt across the nation,” Gleason said. “President Obama and the Democrats have not seen a tax increase they didn’t like, regardless of its effects on Pennsylvanians. As a result of the historic Obama tax increase of 2013, states such as Pennsylvania are left holding the bag for the federal government’s liberal policies.

“Unlike President Obama, Governor Corbett has delivered on-time and balanced budgets every year he’s been in office. While President Obama and Washington Democrats were refusing to even offer a budget proposal, Governor Corbett was eliminating a $4.22 billion budget deficit without raising taxes. Tom Corbett has put Pennsylvania on the right path, and we cannot afford to bring the Democrats’ tax-and-spend agenda to Harrisburg.”

Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue released its April revenue collections. In discussing the effects of the Obama tax increases, Revenue Secretary Dan Meuser noted that the number of people who shifted their dividend payments into 2012 in order to avoid the tax increases was greater than expected. Secretary Meuser also noted,”all major states we’ve talked with have indicated significant declines ranging from 20 percent to 40 percent lower than last year, and many agree that the effect of the shift into 2012 is more dramatic than anyone anticipated.” (“Revenue Department Releases April 2014 Collections,” Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, 5/1/2014)

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