senator Regola:  Taxpayer Protection Act Website Unveiled

A website dedicated to the Taxpayer Protection Act is now up and running, according to State Senator Bob Regola (R-39), prime sponsor of legislation to limit the growth of state spending.  News, charts and video about setting fiscally responsible limits on state government spending are available at http://senaterepublicannews.com/tpa/tpa.htm.

“The Taxpayer Protection Act is a simple concept -- government should live within its means,” said Sen. Regola.  “If state government does not control spending now, the Commonwealth could face serious fiscal issues in the near future.  I would encourage citizens to visit this website to find out more about this important issue.”

Senate Bill 7 would amend the Pennsylvania Constitutional by limiting state spending to the average inflation rate plus the average percentage change in state population over the three preceding years.  For FY 2007-08, the Taxpayer Protection Act would limit increases to 3.2 percent.  Senator Mike Folmer (R-48) has introduced a companion measure, Senate Bill 707, which would a codify the Taxpayer Protection Act into law.

“Governor Rendell’s budget is a dramatic example of why we need to control spending,” said Regola.  “If the Taxpayer Protection Act were in place, there would be no need to raise $2.5 billion in new revenue through seven tax increases like the Governor has proposed.”

In addition to the spending limits in the Taxpayer Protection Act, the proposal also sets realistic restrictions on the use of any unanticipated revenues received by the Commonwealth.  Specifically, 75 percent of any revenues exceeding the spending limits imposed by the bill would be returned to the taxpayers.  The remaining 25 percent would go directly into the Rainy Day Fund to help the Commonwealth cope with unanticipated revenue shortfalls.

Senator Regola’s home page, www.senatorregola.com, also contains a link to the Taxpayer Protection Act website.

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Contact:  Nate Silcox    (717) 787-6063