Pa. Republicans May Give Corbett Little of What He Wants For Transportation Funding
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- It appears that the majority Republicans in the Pennsylvania are poised to gut a transportation funding bill passed by the state senate earlier this year.
Both the state Senate and Governor Tom Corbett have proposed lifting the cap on wholesale gasoline taxes, while the Senate also proposed to raise license and registration fees and put a $100 surcharge on most traffic tickets.
But not only does a House GOP amendment in the works eliminate the fee increases and ticket surcharge, it proposes lifting the wholesale gasoline tax cap over ten years instead of five, as the governor had proposed.
State dollars for mass transit would take a hit as well under the House Republican plan, "Because, in the end public transportation is a locally driven, locally used asset," says Stephen Miskin, a spokesman for the majority leader. "It will allow local regions, local communities to raise local money."
Miskin says local governments would be able to use the sales tax, earned income tax, or realty transfer tax for mass transit.
