Harrisburg -With the likely possibility that the next Governor will be saddled with fixing the transportation funding mess created by Ed Rendell, Pennsylvania families deserve to know: Would Dan Onorato support Rendell's plan to raise taxes in order to fill the $472 million funding gap left when the federal government rejected a request to place tolls on Interstate 80?
This question is especially relevant today as Allegheny County faces its own $30 million budget deficit for 2011. Allegheny County's deficit was caused in much the same way as Rendell's transportation funding crisis, by Dan Onorato basing his budget on money that isn't there. Namely the state's restructured sales tax, which didn't happen, casino revenue he overestimated by $800,000 and a plan to tax hospitals $4 million annually that he fortunately abandoned.
And when questioned how he would fill the gap in his county's budget, Onorato was decidedly nebulous, answering, "There are a lot of potential areas that could materialize." That vague attitude didn't work so well last year, when Onorato needed a $30 million bailout from the state to close the budget gap for 2010. Given the state's projected deficit, Onorato is unlikely to be able to count on another bailout from his mentor Ed Rendell or the state.
"Tom Corbett has been very clear that he will not raise taxes as Governor, so clear in fact that even Ed Rendell knows it, which is why Rendell is rushing his plan to increase taxes and spending now before Tom Corbett can cut the wasteful spending in Harrisburg," said Brian Nutt, Tom Corbett for Governor Campaign Manager.
"Given Dan Onorato's continued silence on the issue of taxes, Pennsylvania taxpayers must look to his record of balancing budgets with phantom funds and authoring the largest tax increase in the history of Allegheny County as an indication that he supports Governor Rendell's most recent tax increase proposal. Does Dan Onorato plan on subjecting Pennsylvania taxpayers to the same tax and spend policies of the last eight years?" asked Nutt.
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Paid for by Tom Corbett for Governor
