The clock is ticking on the deadline for enactment of the 2009-10 state budget, and a line has been drawn in the sand. On one side: lawmakers calling for fiscal restraint and a government that lives within its means. On the other: lawmakers looking to increase taxes at the worst possible time. Caught in the middle and looking for lawmakers to do the right thing: Pennsylvania’s individual and business taxpayers already impacted by the economic downturn.

The PA Chamber is urging lawmakers to do what businesses and families have been doing – buckle down during financially difficult times.

"Individuals and businesses know that spending within one's means makes the most sense and is the most fiscally responsible thing to do," stressed PA Chamber Vice President Gene Barr.

The need for fiscal restraint is obvious: the Commonwealth faces a budget deficit that is expected to reach $3 billion by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

"There is no question that budget cuts are difficult," Barr said. "But in light of a substantial revenue shortfall and an economy in which higher taxes will hamper recovery, everyone has to be willing to make sacrifices."

A fiscally responsible budget plan has been put forward in the legislature – one that spends more than $1.3 billion less than what has been proposed by the Rendell administration; uses federal stimulus dollars to fund existing programs rather than create new ones that will become taxpayers’ responsibility once federal dollars dry up in two years; and does not contain a tax increase for business or for individuals. The plan contains responsible funding cuts while still providing adequate resources for vital programs.

PA Chamber members say fiscal restraint and sacrifices across the board now will ultimately help better position the Commonwealth for eventual recovery and into the future.