2016 – 2017 COMMONWEALTH BUDGET These links may expire: July 19 'Sorry about the death': Should Pa. balance its budget off smokers trying to quit? HARRISBURG — Vape shops like the Blue Door became fixtures of strip plazas and shopping malls in recent years, situated at the leading edge of a new $3 billion industry. Here, at one of Pennsylvania's roughly 300 shops, a mélange of sweet scents hang in the air as a customer in flip-flops inspects brightly-colored... - Harrisburg Patriot-News Letters: Compromise produced Pa. budget ISSUE | PENNSYLVANIA BUDGET A product of compromise The passage of Pennsylvania's general- fund budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year represents something that is becoming all too rare in government - compromise ("Budget funding deal is reached," Thursday). From Philadelphia to Mifflintown to Erie, our state is blessed with diverse... - Philadelphia Inquirer Budget deal a place to start In what has come to count as a triumph of Pennsylvania governance, the Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf have passed a state government budget just two weeks late — about nine months better than last year’s debacle. And more important, the budget is a pretty good effort, even though some of... - Hazleton Standard-Speaker In and out of the Pa. budget Lower profile energy items survive in the Pa. budget. Pennsylvania’s fiscal year budget package creates a new tax credit for power plants that clean up and burn refuse coal piles; clarifies the state’s oil and gas conservation law and shifts funding for green... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette No love for Pennsylvania's newest taxes | Your comments Sunday's editorial took a look at the revenue fix used to close a $1.6 billion deficit in Pennsylvania's 2016-17 budget, predicting that another massive budget gap will return next year. In avoiding a broad-based tax hike, the Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf agreed to a $1-a-pack increase in the cigarette tax and legalized internet... - Easton Express-Times Now tax drillers The Pennsylvania budget passed a mere 13 days late... That’s a lot better than nine months overdue, a record that Gov. Wolf and the legislature seared into the... - Bloomsburg Press Enterprise Pa. cigarette tax will be nation's 10th highest The budget-balancing $1-per-pack cigarette tax increase that takes effect on Aug. 1 will make Pennsylvania's $2.60 levy the 10th-highest in the nation. New Jersey's $2.70 per pack is 9th. In Philadelphia, the tax will be $4.60 per pack, which includes a $2 surcharge added two years ago to help close a looming school district... - Philadelphia Inquirer July 18 Pennsylvania's cigarette tax to rise by $1 per pack Aug. 1 HARRISBURG, Pa. Cigarette taxes are on the way up in Pennsylvania... - AP How the state budget boosts Bethlehem economic development Two and a half years after Bethlehem won a highly-sought economic development incentive zone, only PO Box 60769 | Harrisburg, PA 17106-0769 office: (717) 526-1010 fax: (717) 526-1020 www.pacounties.org one project has been completed. It's not for a lack of shovel-ready projects. There are grand plans that will transform much of South Bethlehem and Martin Tower.... - Easton Express-Times EDITORIAL: Compromise pays the bills in Harrisburg There’s an odd word being bandied about in Harrisburg these days: Compromise. That sigh of relief emanating from the state Capitol Thursday was the realization that the state would not suffer a repeat of last year’s nine-month budget fiasco. Of course, it could also be perplexed legislators unhappy with the myriad... - Pottstown Mercury Cigarette purchases to cost you more starting Aug. 1 Those who smoke cigarettes probably know this already: Increased taxes are going to make buying them more expensive in the next couple weeks. Starting Aug. 1, Pennsylvania's newly enacted budget package means that the per-pack tax on cigarettes will rise by $1 to $2.60, according to an... - Harrisburg Patriot-News Once again, Pa. settles for quick-fix budget | Editorial Pennsylvania's budget drama was a relatively painless two-act play this year — an on-time adoption by June 30, followed by Wednesday's action to close a $1.4 billion deficit in the spending plan. After last year's nine-month standoff, 13 days of post-deadline debate in July seems like ...... - Easton Express-Times Pa. Farm Bureau praises state budget July 17, 2016 CAMP HILL – Pennsylvania Farm Bureau appreciates the level of funding designated for key agriculture programs included in the new state budget. The spending plan includes a 2. more »» - Lewistown Sentinel Darts & Laurels: A novelty in Pa.: Budget’s a done deal A look at the week that was, the issues and people who made headlines, and a few darts and laurels for those who deserve them. LAUREL: To Gov. Tom Wolf and the state Legislature. This week they signed off on a $31 billion state budget, as well as a funding plan to pay for it.... - Primos Delaware County Daily and Sunday Times Budget deal a place to start In what has come to count as a triumph of Pennsylvania governance, the Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf have passed a state government budget just two weeks late — about nine months better than last year’s debacle. And more important, the budget is a pretty good effort, even though some of... - Hazleton Standard-Speaker Editorial: State budget not great, but it beats last year's disaster Pennsylvania has a budget. And it's paid for (well, sort of) and everything. While it is unfortunate that it relies on borrowing $200 million from a surplus in a state medical malpractice insurance fund and other less-than-sustainable revenues, this downside is greatly outweighed by the... - Reading Eagle State budget finale ends two-year revenue search HARRISBURG — A two-year journey to find new revenue to solve Pennsylvania’s chronic fiscal problems came to an end last week with completion of the fiscal 2016-17 budget. After weeks of haggling, lawmakers approved a $1.3 billion revenue package designed to help support the $31.5 billion... - Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice In Pa., cigars evade tobacco tax HARRISBURG - For another year, at least, cigar smokers can puff away tax-free. In the state budget deal signed Wednesday by Gov. Wolf, they escaped the fate of cigarette smokers, who will have to cough up an extra $1 tax a pack. Users of snuff and chew or loose tobacco will be paying 55 cents more... - Philadelphia Inquirer Revenue package is wishful thinking Democratic state Rep. Madeleine Dean added a sad commentary to the $1.3 billion tax and revenue package approved Wednesday by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Wolf. Said Dean, whose 153rd District comprises parts of Abington and Upper Dublin: "It's become very clear to me that while this... - Levittown Bucks County Courier Times Baker says state budget invests in schools, healthcare HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania General Assembly this week approved several budget-related bills that were signed into law to finalize implementation of the 2016-17 state budget, announced Rep. Matt Baker, R-Wellsboro. “The 2016-17 budget, which spends $31.6 billion, makes an historic... - Bradford Era Ron Southwick: Reviewing the strange journey to a state budget It was a long, strange trip to a state budget a year ago, as the spending plan wasn't finalized until about six months after the start of the fiscal year. The trip wasn't as long this year. The governor and lawmakers agreed on a spending plan within the first two weeks of the fiscal year.... - Reading Eagle State budget process abnormality typical HARRISBURG — It’s a receding memory now, but 2008 was the last year when Pennsylvanians saw a “normal” end to the state budget process. The finale that year came several months before the spectacular financial collapse that triggered the Great Recession. The 2008 budget was adopted several days after the June 30 deadline on the... - Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald New budget includes tax credits, exemptions HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s new state budget is about many things in addition to spending and taxes. The tax law enacted last week provides for a number of state tax exemptions and tax credits to give financial incentives to everything from land banks to video game production companies and brewers and to help urban renewal... - Scranton Times Too early for budget optimism July 18, 2016 The completion of Pennsylvania’s 2016-17 budget exercise doesn’t justify an end to pessimism regarding the commonwealth’s financial futur. more »» - Altoona Mirror A grab bag of revenue projections bail out the state July 16, 2016 Gov Tom Wolf and the Legislature are counting heavily on gambling, smoking and computer love to balance the state budget. The governor signed a $1. more »» - Williamsport Sun- Gazette July 17 Budget a win for schools across state By Pedro A. Rivera The 2016-17 budget provides a significant step forward for Pennsylvania schools. It will help promote student success and improve access to a high-quality education — regardless of a child’s zip code. Working with our partners in the legislature, we are moving Pennsylvania forward by... - State College Centre Daily Times Brian O'Neill: The sin-tax state budget — just a quick-fix There are at least two notable aspects to the state budget approved Wednesday by America’s Largest Full-Time State Legislature. The first is the budget being less than two weeks late. That beats last year’s debacle by nearly nine months. That’s welcome progress.... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Taxes on 'digital downloads' arrive in Pa.: What is that going to cost you? It stands to reason that Pennsylvania, rarely the league leader in "hip" or "modern," wouldn't be among the first states to tax items bought on-line known as digital downloads.