by KYW’s Tony Romeo
Governor Rendell’s chief of staff says prospects for legislative approval of the governor’s proposal to hike the income tax are not as bleak as some make it out to be.
This past week, a Democratic state Senator -- Jim Ferlo of Allegheny County -- said that even some liberal Democrats in the legislature won’t vote for Governor Rendell’s proposal to raise the personal income tax, or PIT, by 16-percent for three years.
But on Friday, Rendell’s chief of staff, Steve Crawford, countered by saying he’s heard support for the proposal from Republicans:
“I’ve talked to Republican members of the Senate who have said to me that they’re willing to vote for a PIT increase. I’ve talked to Republican members of the House who’ve said to me that they’re willing to vote for a PIT increase. I’ve talked to Democratic members of the House who say, ‘I really, really, really, don’t want to vote for a PIT increase, I need to be convinced.’ And we’re prepared to convince them.”
Governor Rendell continues to insist that the $3.25 billion budget deficit can’t be closed through cuts alone.
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