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Solobay weighs in on Pa. spending plan
CANONSBURG - State Rep. Tim Solobay knew when he accepted the post of grand marshal for the Canonsburg Fourth of July parade that the lack of a state budget by the June 30 deadline could make him a no-show before his hometown constituents.
"We're in recess," Solobay said. "We're at the call of the chair. If we were in session, I wasn't coming back," he said of his post in Harrisburg.
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He expects to be back in the Capitol on Monday, when the Senate, which has approved a budget, also will be in session.
"It wasn't a balanced budget what the Senate passed," Solobay said. "It was out of synch by about $1.6 billion. Without them in the room or without them in the building, there can be no deals struck," Solobay said. "I sure as heck don't want to raise taxes."
Going through Gov. Ed Rendell's budget line-by-line, Solobay said he'd like to see $1.6 million in what he called "discretionary spending" removed.
Among that $1.6 billion is $650 million for the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State and Temple universities and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster.
"They all sit on endowments," Solobay said. "Spend down some of their endowments. The state's in a jam. We've been pumping hundreds of millions of dollars in them for years."
County officials are worried that cuts in state funding would put them on the spot to raise taxes, but Solobay said he wouldn't support a budget of that nature.
"There are no human service things that are going to be eliminated for seniors, the handicapped and those types of individuals who receive public assistance," the state representative said.
Solobay doesn't favor an increase in the personal income tax.
"I think the governor is finally realizing and our leadership is realizing there isn't a tax vote for the PIT.
"Basically, we'd like to get away with no increases at all," Solobay said, but he added a one-percent increase in the 6 percent state sales tax might be in the offing.
"That's still all up in the air, too. Bascially, we'd like to get away with this with no increases at all."
no tax increase : 7/5/2009
hey there mr. solobay----there had better be no tax increase in either the income, sales, or any other tax. if there is...i guarantee you guys will not be re-elected if i have anything to do with it. get a set of.....and downsize the state government legislature branch.....we don't need that many people in harrisburg......
