With all state budget hearings now complete, negotiations can begin between state lawmakers and Governor Tom Wolf.
There’s expected to be some back-and-forth between the Democratic led Wolf administration and the Republican majority legislature.
Wolf is seeking an increase in a number of areas, including education funding. But, Republican State Senator David Argall is skeptical about how these increases will impact future budgets.
“We received form the Independent Fiscal Office possible projections that if we passed the Governor’s budget we’d be $1 billion in the hole by 2023, and by 2026-27 we’d be looking at a $12 billion deficit,” Argall said.
Wolf administration officials countered that no new taxes would be needed and that surplus money in the budget would help cover costs.
“While I don’t have a crystal ball, I am confident that as long as sales tax continue to grow and not contract, there won’t be a need for those types of tax increases,” Wolf’s Budget Secretary Gregory Thall said.