tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320438766855852970.post4002583988215734017..comments2023-09-05T02:12:57.445-04:00Comments on The Busman's Holiday: Inside New Act 47 Plan -- Quiet Rollout After Elections & Before Holiday WeekendBob Mayohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284393139608821650noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1320438766855852970.post-31939941547151402822009-05-26T12:51:21.919-04:002009-05-26T12:51:21.919-04:00Mayor Ravenstahl was a guest in first 15 minutes o...Mayor Ravenstahl was a guest in first 15 minutes of the KD/PG edition Sunday, filmed (I believe usually and as you no doubt know) on Friday's sometime. The Mayor had a red face, probably from his visit the day before to the White House. It might have been a trick of the light, but I could swear his face got redder as Stacy Smith asked him about not returning Pat Dowd's question (he didn't answer except to say he had not so at that time). <br /><br />More importantly, the Mayor said, maybe for the first time, that the EMS tax hike, the non profits participation in payroll preparation tax (I believe that is correct) and the maintenance of the parking tax at 37.5 percent are in the Act-47 proposal. He continued that line in the PG (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09143/972298-53.stm), going on to say that the Act 47 proposal is a “golden opportunity”. Doesn’t sound too upset about raising taxes to me. By Friday, the Mayor was citing numbers of how much the new taxes would bring in.<br /><br />I think the Mayor’s line is going to be that higher taxes is what the Act-47 people command. I think that is clearly not the intent, but it is one of those things where because the possibility is raised in the Act-47 proposal, the Mayor can say it is so. It is the path of least resistance for Ravenstahl to have these taxes raised. Whether they can get through the State Assembly is another matter altogether. Right now it looks like City Council might pass the Act-47 proposal (the Mayor would sign) with the understanding the State will grant us these taxes. What happens when we don’t get the tax hikes?EdHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09109361235271107574noreply@blogger.com