PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Marcellus Shale Coalition president David Spigelmyer issued the following statement on Governor Tom Wolf’s proposal to increase energy taxes and harm Pennsylvania families, small businesses and consumers.
“Governor Wolf’s proposal for additional energy taxes will cost Pennsylvanians jobs, raise home energy costs for consumers, all while not helping a single student or school. Pennsylvanians want Governor Wolf and their legislators to focus on creating good jobs that will make the Commonwealth a better place to invest and grow. They are tired of election-year political stunts and more tax-and-spend proposals that ultimately make Pennsylvania less competitive.
“Pennsylvania already has a natural gas tax that has generated nearly $1.5 billion in new revenue for our state. This tax, in addition to other state business taxes that our industry and their employees pay, delivers revenues directly to communities across the Commonwealth, making important community, environmental and conservation investments possible.
“Governor Wolf claims to support energy workers and small businesses, yet he again proposes to smother this important growth sector with additional, job-crushing energy taxes.
“Rather than growing state government and appeasing public sector unions, Governor Wolf and policymakers need to focus on job creation, especially for our building trades and the manufacturing sector, in order to grow the economy. Harrisburg needs visionary leadership that advances the opportunities presented by the development of natural gas – not tired, misleading rhetoric that mischaracterizes the contributions of Pennsylvania job creators to our economy.”
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