One of the more notable tax increases – technically a “fee” rather than a tax – in Governor Tom Wolf’s budget address yesterday included a proposal that residents of municipalities which have no local police protection pay a $25 per resident assessment for state police protection. Wolf estimated that the fee would raise $63 million and help pay for one hundred more troopers.
Previous efforts to assess fees on the uncovered municipalities have targeted the largest townships. Wolf’s plan appears to target all of them.
Indiana County ranks eleventh in the state in the number of people relying solely on state police to protect them. The county has 61,522 people – about 70 percent of us – who would have to pay the fee, amounting to about $1.5 million. According to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, White Township is the eight-largest uncovered township in the state, with about 16,300 residents. They’d have to pay $407,500. White Township has not had a tax increase for many years, would have to come up with about $407,500.
The state has been using billions of dollars in increased driver’s fees and gas taxes intended to fix roads and bridges to instead fund the state police, which is operating with severe trooper shortages exacerbated by retirements brought on by pension plan changes.
The governor’s proposal is not expected to get a warm reception in the state legislature.
