By not having a natural gas severance tax, Pennsylvania has lost more than $54 million since last October that could have funded vital state services including education and health care, as well as drilling-related environmental and local costs, according to the PA Budget and Policy Center.
And that number is growing every day, as more energy companies flock to Pennsylvania to tap into the rich gas reserves in the Marcellus Shale.
This week the PA Budget and Policy Center introduced an online Severance Tax Ticker, providing a real-time estimate of the total revenue lost by the Commonwealth since October 1, 2009 by not having a severance tax in place.
In the 2009-10 budget, environmental protection and conservation were cut by $79 million. Some of the severance tax revenue could have offset cuts to state parks, environmental management and clean water programs. Click here for more information.
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