Texas has had a severance tax on oil and gas for years - what is the problem with one in PA? I think that sometimes conservatives miss ways for good tax policy to work to the benefit of the public... small tax payers. For example, our severance tax income has allowed TX to have a large rainy day fund - where that money goes as a result we will have an item on the ballot to spend some of it for roads - which means no higher gas taxes.
Given the cesspool of Somalia on the Susquehanna*, the proceeds of yet more tax extortion will doubtless get pissed away on multi-demographic gibsmedats, not to mention the organized crime racket known as PennDOT.
*(aka Harrisburg)
Clearly, you do not understand the issue here in Pennsylvania.
We have an impact fee that guarantees money stays in the local community and county where a well is located.
Pigs, like Wolf, want all the money sent to Harrisburg and then divvied-up by politicians, with most going to Philly & Pittsburgh where there are no wells and gas drilling is strongly opposed.
Rural Pennsylvania has been neglected and abused by Harrisburg. We barely beat back an effort to turn Interstate 80 into a toll road with the money going to fund mass transit in Philly & Pittsburgh...where I-80 is not near.
Wolf wants any revenue from the gas industry to go to teacher’s unions and wasted on our already expensive schools. Of course, property taxes will remain the same.
Pennsylvania has a 3% 'impact fee' instead of severance taxes. The lion's share of the impact fees are directed to the municipalities where the drilling occurs -- in the rural South western and North central parts of the state. This has been a God send for many of these hard pressed communities.
Wolf's plan would send all the money to state government where the bulk of it would no doubt be directed to the corrupt political machine in Philadelphia where zero drilling takes place.
It's just standard Democrat party corruption pushing for the severance tax.