Published November 24. 2015 04:00PM
HARRISBURG (AP) - Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican lawmakers appeared unable to bridge a divide Monday over how to slash school property taxes as part of a broader agreement to end a five-month budget stalemate that has left public schools and social services without billions in state aid.
Speaking at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon, the first-term Democratic governor urged leaders of the Legislature's commanding Republican majorities to adhere to a framework they announced earlier this month.It revolved around an increase in the state sales tax to pay for more than tripling state school property tax rebates and to boost public school aid by hundreds of millions of dollars.Efforts to work out the details of the proposal, Wolf said, are "in peril, deep peril.""We cannot allow ourselves to get stuck trying to work out the details of a framework we all agreed to," Wolf said.Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, said he told Wolf on Friday night that rank-and-file Republican senators do not support Wolf's proposal on which districts should benefit the most from $1.4 billion in new property tax rebates.So Corman said he urged Wolf to move on from the fight over property taxes and concentrate on passing a five-months-late budget.
Gov. Tom Wolf responds to a question at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon Monday, Nov. 23, 2015 in Harrisburg, Pa. Wolf urged Republican lawmakers to support a proposed deal to swap a state sales tax increase for $1.4 billion in school property tax cuts for homeowners. Republicans say they disagree with Wolf over which school districts should benefit most from the rebates. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)