HARRISBURG – Today, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry issued the following statement after the state Senate blocked two amendments that would have raised costs on Pennsylvanians by imposing more than a billion dollars in new taxes through a new digital advertising tax and the implementation of mandatory unitary combined reporting: “We appreciate Senate Republicans standing up for Pennsylvania’s business community and our state’s competitiveness by rejecting this tone-deaf effort to increase costs and complexity for job creators and consumers who are already navigating significant affordability challenges,” PA Chamber Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Jon Anzur said. House Bill 1667 is an omnibus tax measure that includes several proposed changes to Pennsylvania’s tax code. During consideration of the legislation, lawmakers filed several amendments to the bill, including two offered by Senate Democrats that would have established a new, duplicative digital advertising tax and implemented mandatory unitary combined reporting for Pennsylvania’s Corporate Net Income Tax. Both amendments were tabled by the majority party. The former amendment would have imposed a five percent gross receipts tax on digital advertising in Pennsylvania. The proposal would create a new, duplicative tax on businesses at a time when consumers and employers continue to navigate rising costs and economic uncertainty. While proponents characterized the proposal as a tax on “big tech,” the impact would have reached far beyond large technology companies, as the cost of the tax would likely be passed down and ultimately paid by Pennsylvania small businesses and consumers. Separately, the unitary combined reporting amendment would impose over an estimated $1 billion in new taxes on Pennsylvania businesses, would make Pennsylvania less competitive, reduce investment, increase administrative complexity, raise compliance costs, and create greater uncertainty for employers operating in the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania has made significant progress in recent years through bipartisan tax reforms that improved fairness, increased certainty, and strengthened the Commonwealth’s competitiveness. Those reforms have helped create a more predictable environment for employers while supporting economic growth. The PA Chamber believes Pennsylvania should continue building on that progress by advancing policies that encourage investment, support job creation, and reinforce the Commonwealth’s position as a place where businesses can succeed; and, that means not adding an additional billion-dollar tax burden.