Following Governor Tom Wolf’s ambitious budget proposal recently, local legislators released their responses, some more eager and forgiving than others. Republicans, who were mollified by Wolf’s last, more modest budget, are up in arms.

Rep. Ann Flood (R-138th) said, “The governor is proposing a tax increase on small employers and working Pennsylvanians at a time when many of them are struggling to hang on. Local restaurants and other employers are the backbone of our economy, and I’m going to fight to remove existing restrictions and offer assistance to help them survive. Rather than further burdening job creators and workers with higher taxes, we should be focusing on policies to help employers create good-paying, family-sustaining jobs.

“My top priority right now is making sure we get the COVID-19 vaccines that are sitting on shelves in storage into the arms of our most vulnerable citizens. Many of our children, who are our future, benefit scholastically and emotionally from being in the classroom among their peers. The best way to get students out of isolation and back into school for face-to-face instruction is by getting the vaccine to more Pennsylvanians.”

Flood concluded, “My colleagues and I will begin reviewing the governor’s proposal and I’m confident the final state budget will look much different than the one he outlined today.”

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Pat Browne (R-16) said, “The governor could not have picked a worse time to propose a 46.3 percent increase in the personal income tax given the struggles Pennsylvanians continue to face during the worst pandemic of our lifetime. This major tax increase and massive spending plan will devastate working families and small business owners, many who already cannot afford their current tax burden, are unemployed or have been forced to close their business. Now more than ever, we need to develop a budget that is fiscally responsible and that helps keep businesses open and employees working, creates jobs and rebuilds our economy.”

According to an analysis of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, Wolf’s $37.8 billion proposal represents an increase of about of $3 billion, or 8.2 percent, over FY 2020-21. It also calls for investments in businesses and infrastructure aimed at getting Pennsylvania back on track after the pandemic, urging the federal government to take action on broadband expansion, and investing $3 billion over 10 years into Back to Work PA. In strong contrast to last year’s budget proposal, which had ameliorated some Republican legislators, Wolf wants additional revenue to fund his plan.

The proposed tax increase raises personal taxes from 3.07 percent to 4.49 percent, which, Wolf said, when coupled with expanded exemptions and tax forgiveness, would primarily impact the top third of earners.

“Overall for counties,” CCAP said, “the governor’s proposal represents generally level funding across line items, particularly in human services” with a notable increase for county health departments.