Jun. 21, 2024
LORETTO—Rep. Jim Rigby (R-Cambria/Somerset) and the House Republican Policy Committee, led by Chairman Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington), convened the fourth in a series of hearings to discuss House Bill 2388, the House Republican tax cut bill that would return $3 billion to the people of Pennsylvania by reducing the Personal Income Tax (PIT) rate from 3.07% to 2.8% and eliminating the Gross Receipts Tax on electric bills.
The hearing, “Historic Tax Cuts,” featured testifiers Elizabeth Stelle, director of policy analysis, The Commonwealth Foundation; Robert Sloan, owner, PJ’s Tavern; and Ray Lenz, 91-year-old retired resident of Loretto.
Pennsylvania’s economy is stagnant. The Commonwealth is struggling to balance an aging population without incentives to retain young workers. Businesses are relocating to states with more favorable tax environments, and start-ups are deterred by the “start-up penalty.” Inflation has made everyday essentials, like groceries, medicine and electricity, unaffordable for many.
Living on unfairly tight budgets, people are having to settle for unhealthy standards of living. For instance, testifier Lenz shared that his friend, also a senior citizen, chose not to use her air conditioning to avoid a higher bill. He also reiterated, “Drugs are very expensive for senior citizens. And almost every senior citizen needs a drug.”
Rigby expressed gratitude to Lenz, saying, “It’s always a pleasure listening to his words of wisdom, advocating for our communities to take care of seniors and learn from them.
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House Bill 2388 will have an immediate impact on our communities,” said Rigby. “We need to grow our economy and create family-sustaining jobs, and we can do this by lifting the tax burden. If we don’t, Pennsylvania will remain at the bottom of the competition.”
Amidst Pennsylvania’s bleak economic reality, Gov. Josh Shapiro claims he wants Pennsylvania to compete with other states. Instead of putting money back into the pockets of Pennsylvanians, he is spending taxpayers’ money without restraint.
“Harrisburg needs to get out of the way,” said Kail. “We need to give money back to the people so they can invest in things that matter to them. We need to get out of their way so they can thrive.”
To watch this complete hearing or the hearings from June 11, June 17 and June 18, visit
www.pagoppolicy.com/video/policy.
The final hearing in the “Historic Tax Cuts” series will be held today, Friday, June 21, in Allegheny County.