Burns has concerns about governor's gas tax proposal
Rep. Frank Burns February 5, 2013
HARRISBURG, Feb. 5 – State Rep. Frank
Burns, D-Cambria/Somerset, released the following statement regarding Gov. Tom
Corbett's proposed 2013-14 state budget that he presented to the General
Assembly today:
"I have serious concerns about how the
governor wants to pay for improvements to our transportation infrastructure.
There is no doubt that something needs to be done to fix our roads and bridges,
but removing the cap on one tax while lowering another is not the answer.
"I don't care what the governor says,
removing the tax limit that can be levied on oil and gas companies for the
wholesale price of gasoline is a tax increase and will be passed on to
consumers at the gas pump.
"I am also concerned that the governor
has tied funding for education and our senior citizens to his plans to
privatize the state stores and the Pennsylvania Lottery. Essentially, he's
holding our youngest and oldest citizens hostage in order to get what he wants.
"Our state lottery is already one of the
most well-managed and revenue-generating programs in the country, and all of
its profits go directly to senior citizen programs. Why would we want to
jeopardize that kind of proven success?
"And, under the governor's plan to
privatize the state stores, we'll be giving away an established source of
revenue for a one-time infusion of funding for schools. When that education
funding disappears, our schools will again see reductions in their state
support, but we'll still have liquor stores on every street corner. What does
that say about the future of our children?"