Answer: Pa.’s tax on natural gas. Question: What is the impact fee or tax?
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Last night, before a sold-out room at the Pa. Chamber of Business & Industry’s 34th annual dinner, Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek moderated a gubernatorial debate between Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican Scott Wagner.
While debate moderators have the important responsibility of playing political referee, with success measured by how tough yet truthful their line of questioning may be, Mr. Trebek stepped outside of the traditional role – wildly, in fact – and into one that was pure advocacy.
Specifically, on the issue of taxing natural gas in Pennsylvania, Mr. Trebek shifted from arbitrator of facts to campaigner. In fact, as the Washington Post reported, the debate “didn’t go well” for Mr. Trebek:
“The severance tax would bring in a lot of money,” Trebek said, over a chorus of disagreement. “No? No, it would not? Who says no, it would not? You have the impact fee now which has brought in $1.2 billion in the last seven years, and you’re telling me a 6 percent severance tax would not bring in money?”
In a series of Twitter posts today – taking the format familiar to Mr. Trebek – we will correct the record, sharing fact-based information about the enormous benefits created across Pennsylvania through the various taxes on natural gas, including the impact tax which has generated nearly $1.5 billion in new revenue.
Click HERE to follow on Twitter.
Meantime, we’d encourage Mr. Trebek and others to check out these videos – here, here, here & here – that cut through the political clutter and rhetoric pushing for even higher energy taxes.
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