Mike's Memo

Tax Me More Fund Proposed

Next month Governor Rendell will make his state budget recommendations and the General Assembly will begin to work on a spending plan for the 2008-2009 Fiscal Year.  I'm sure the Governor will have his usual litany of spending requests, such as $75 million for Hollywood millionaires to produce movies in Pennsylvania, and tens of millions of dollars for government agencies to advertise themselves.  After voting "no" on my first budget last year (one of two Senators to cast a no vote), I come into this year with valuable experience and knowledge.

With our current state budget of $27.16 billion, the Commonwealth is spending nearly $75 million a day.  That breaks down to more than:

• $3 million an hour

• $51,000 a minute

• $861 per second

I think spending nearly $1,000 per second is a lot of money.  I also believe that borrowing is not a legacy we want to leave our children and grandchildren.  Debt service is now almost $1 billion per year (more than 3 percent of the budget).

When I took office last year, the first bill I introduced was the Taxpayer Protection Act (SB 707) which would limit state spending to the lesser of the combined rates of inflation and population growth or the rate of personal income growth. I believe that controlling spending is the only way we can cut the taxes that are hurting job creation and squeezing out the middle class.

Although many people agree that spending must be controlled, there are some who actually believe government is not spending enough and believe we should raise taxes to pay for their pet programs.  As the Commonwealth collects $110 million a day, you can't tell me we need more money.  While families budget their income and limit their spending, government does just the opposite:  it figures out what it wants, and then finds ways for you to pay for it!

Just in time for budget negotiations, I plan to introduce a bill specifically designed for those who call for higher taxes and increased spending. The "Tax Me More Fund" is modeled after a 2001 Arkansas law, and will serve as an alternative to tax increases and budget cuts. I believe the approach lets people speak for themselves - if you consider yourself under-taxed, feel free to donate to the fund; as the Governor and legislative leaders call for higher taxes as part of the budget, I'll ask them to write their check to the Commonwealth.

Meanwhile, for those of us who believe in living within our means and who are simply tired of government wasting $75 million a day, I'll continue to push for the Taxpayer Protection Act. 

Show your support for Senator Folmer's Taxpayer Protection Act!

Visit www.senatorfolmer.com and sign the online petition. 

Senate Sessions on the Web

Whether it is a regularly scheduled session day or the Governor’s budget address, you can catch all the action live on my website, www.senatorfolmer.com and click the Live Senate Feed icon. Please be sure to check the date and time of next session information on the page so you're not looking at a blank screen on non-session days!

For more information on these issues, and information on other legislative and state topics, visit the Pennsylvania General Assembly website at www.legis.state.pa.us.  If you are unable to open the bill links, please feel free to go directly to the Pennsylvania General Assembly website.

As always, please feel free to contact me on any state-related matter that may be of concern to you. I can be reached through e-mail, mfolmer@pasen.gov,or at any one of my district offices.