Governor Tom Wolf’s proposal to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is coming under fire from the state’s business community.
National Federation of Independent Business in Pennsylvania State Director Gordon Denlinger says increasing the state’s minimum wage would be bad for small business.
“When you put forward a policy that will increase costs, then that result is going to be decreased hiring and job losses, and the cutting of hour for folks who are at the bottom end of the economic scale,” Denlinger said.
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Gene Barr says there are ways other than raising the minimum wage to help low-income workers, like a state-level earned-income tax credit.
Last week, the governor pledged his support for proposed legislation that would initially raise the minimum wage from its current $7.25 per hour, to $12 per hour, and then it would increase by 50 cents each year until it reaches $15 per hour by the year 2025.