Work Continues On Revenue Piece Of PA Budget Puzzle
by Tony Romeo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Governor Wolf and legislative leaders continued working on Tuesday to pull together a revenue plan to pay for Pennsylvania's new state budget that took effect without the governor's signature earlier this week.
Republican Pat Browne is the chairman of the State Senate Appropriations Committee. He and other legislative leaders on Tuesday continued to portray efforts to piece together a revenue plan with many moving parts as progressing gradually.
Browne says one piece of that puzzle would involve a tax on digital downloads.
"Anything you're downloading off the web – [that's] not currently in the sales tax base. Our sales tax has a lot of exemptions in it. This would be one that would be part of the sales tax base," said Browne.
Also in play are an increase in cigarette taxes and taxes on some other tobacco products.
One issue threatening to hold things up was a proposal to increase charter school enrollment, an issue of concern for the Philadelphia School District. But Browne said Tuesday he believes that matter will be addressed later and will not delay finalizing the budget process.