While affordability remains a top-of-mind concern for Pennsylvanians, unfortunately, the State House and Senate advanced multiple bills last week that would exacerbate affordability challenges for Pennsylvania residents and employers.

Three examples include:

 

• The state Senate passed legislation that would dramatically expand the scope of prevailing wage, which increases construction costs for public projects funded with taxpayer dollars.  No fiscal analysis was provided for this bill before its Senate passage, and it is expected to drive up construction costs, resulting in higher property taxes in the years ahead. (CLICK HERE and HERE for our memo in opposition to the bill.)

 

• The State House passed a brand new taxing scheme that would increase costs by hundreds of millions of dollars on small businesses that run ads online.  This is essentially double taxation – driving up costs both for small businesses and to the consumers that it’s expected the costs would be passed down to.  (CLICK HERE for our memo in opposition.)

 

• The Senate Labor and Industry Committee passed a new government-run paid leave program that when factoring in the mandate and the new bureaucracy necessary to administer it would amount to a more than $4 billion tax increase on Pennsylvania workers. (CLICK HERE for our memo in opposition.)

 

We continue to oppose each of these misguided bills and urge you to call your local state lawmakers and tell them to focus on legislation that makes Pennsylvania more competitive, not more costly to live in or do business.