"Governor Wolf opened the dialogue for the new budget and provided good starting points to hopefully get Pennsylvania moving in a positive direction and generate discussions that will reinvigorate opportunities for the middle class and our economic climate.

I am supportive of efforts to provide proposed property tax relief that will benefit seniors and hardworking families, and allow more families to consider purchasing homes.

Reinvesting in education and improving funding to Pennsylvania schools will help better prepare our children for the jobs of the future. I am excited to see investment at all levels of the state's education system.

I am also very supportive of his efforts to increase the state's minimum wage to provide a livable wage for Pennsylvania's hardworking low wage earners.

I look forward to being a part of the ongoing discussion as we create a budget that will strengthen our state."

Rep. Daniel McNeill

D-133rd Legislative District

"The governor is pushing to close corporate tax loopholes and reduce tax rates on businesses that create jobs. This is very similar to efforts I've led in the General Assembly, such as Act 52 of 2013, which closed over $50 million in corporate tax loopholes and used that revenue to reduce tax rates on businesses across the board. It also eliminated inheritance taxes on small, family-owned businesses. These are important steps in making Pennsylvania a more attractive place for job creators to locate and expand.

The governor's proposal also indicates he understands the necessity for property tax relief and that he values increasing educational opportunities for Pennsylvania's children. He does not, however, go about achieving these in the right way. This underscores the greatest concern I have with Wolf's plan: It doesn't protect taxpayers.

The governor's plan would increase the Personal Income Tax on all Pennsylvanians by 20 percent, from the current 3.07 percent to 3.70 percent. Additionally, Wolf proposes to raise the sales tax from 6 percent to 6.6 percent. He would also expand sales taxes to goods and services that are currently exempt from taxation, including such items as assisted living services, college dormitory meal plans and funerals - just to name a few.

All of this new taxation would be used to grow state government spending by 16 percent, or nearly 10 times the rate of inflation. This would represent an increase of $4.7 billion in new spending during his first year in office. The average Pennsylvania family of four would see its overall tax burden increase by slightly more than $1,400 a year under his plan. This is the wrong direction for Pennsylvania.

The governor is claiming that his plan would offer property tax relief. Unfortunately, in many school districts, residents would be paying significantly more in increased income and sales taxes than they would see in property tax reductions."

Rep. Ryan Mackenzie

R-134th Legislative District