Area lawmakers weighed in on Gov. Tom Wolf’s $40 billion spending plan.

Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon: “In the past, whenever we have talked about boosting the Personal Income Tax, it is always in lieu of raising property taxes. But the governor just wants to raise the PIT and property taxes as well. He also wants a tax on natural gas extraction and to legalize recreational marijuana in the middle of an opioid epidemic. I think his proposal is a nonstarter.

“People are not looking for handouts. They just want to be able to safely go back to work, and the governor can help them do that. Instead, he talked about tax increases, when the focus should be on vaccine distribution and safely reopening Pennsylvania’s economy.

“That said, I am willing to work with the governor to get this budget done before the June 30 deadline without placing a heavier tax burden on working-class families in Carbon County and across the state.”

Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-Carbon/Berks/Schuylkill: “While I support smart growth, such as making strong investments in workforce development and education, the governor’s budget plan will undoubtedly cause more unemployment and business shutdowns. It would significantly raise taxes on middle-class Pennsylvanians, small businesses and critical infrastructure.

“To make economic matters worse, in Wolf’s latest minimum-wage push, he is proposing to increase the minimum wage to $12 per hour by July 1, 2021, and annually increase the wage by 50 cents until it reaches $15 per hour by 2027. With a crippled economy caused by a global pandemic and the governor’s ongoing and arbitrary business shutdowns, a minimum-wage increase would be even more problematic.

“Who will pay the bill for his plan? You, the taxpayer! We cannot afford additional taxes, and I’m disappointed that he would even develop such a plan knowing the hardships our commonwealth has faced in the past year.”

Rep. Jack Rader, R-Monroe: “The governor’s proposal to raise taxes by $7 billion for Pennsylvania families and businesses struggling to overcome the economic hardships created by the pandemic simply boggles the mind. Now is absolutely not the time to consider any kind of tax hike, and his plan to do so has little chance of moving forward.

“His call to increase both the Personal Income Tax and minimum wage is a double whammy that will crush our small businesses. We might as well legislate the closure of most of them.

“Putting the pandemic behind us as quickly as possible and getting people back to work is the most effective way to return our economy to normal. Massive tax increases are not the answer and never have been.”

Sen. David G. Argall, R-Berks/Schuylkill: “The governor is now proposing one of the largest tax increases in Pennsylvania’s history. A family that operates a diner in Pottsville, Pine Grove or Womelsdorf can’t afford paying 50% more in income tax. Haven’t they suffered enough?”

State Sen. John Yudichak, I-Luzerne/Carbon: “Gov. Wolf is proposing a budget that would impose a 46.3% tax hike on small businesses in Pennsylvania, the largest tax hike in history, at a time when these same small businesses are fighting to survive his administration’s arbitrary shutdown orders and the economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Pennsylvania’s working families face unprecedented economic challenges, and the governor responds with a budget plan to reward his partisan political allies instead of laying out a comprehensive plan to get our economy growing again.

“Regretfully, there is also no cost of living adjustment in the governor’s budget to increase much-needed funding for Pennsylvania nursing homes that are the epicenter of the pandemic with nearly two-thirds of all COVID-19 related deaths occurring in our long-term care facilities.

State Sen. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe, Northampton: “After all of the closures and restrictions which have devastated small businesses across the commonwealth and put a record number of residents out of work, the governor wishes to deal a fatal blow in the form of a staggering 46 percent increase in the personal income tax.

“This proposal is an economy killer. It will wreak havoc on working families who are already burdened with current taxes, unemployed residents and businesses. We need to commit to moving forward with a budget that is fiscally responsible that spurs economic growth, helps ease the tax burden on Pennsylvania residents, protects jobs and creates new jobs.”