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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 17, 2019 11:42 AM |
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| From: | Representative Perry S. Warren |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Commuter and Commerce Toll Tax Credit |
| In 2007, the General Assembly passed a law that increased state support for transportation needs by proposing tolls on Interstate Route I-80, increasing tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and issuing revenue bonds. Annual payments from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to PennDOT would have increased 2.5 percent annually if the I-80 tolls had been approved. Toll revenue is important in Pennsylvania because it supports public transit programs that have benefits statewide. However, the federal government denied Pennsylvania’s request to toll I-80. This is problematic because, without these tolls, those using our Commonwealth’s highways may opt to avoid paying tolls on the Turnpike by choosing an alternate route to the north. As a result, there is a geographical imbalance in which Pennsylvania residents who use the Turnpike to commute have to pay for use of the roads, while others do not. We should help relieve the burden on Pennsylvanians who need to use the Turnpike to go to work and visit family, while still providing needed funding to public transit services that many workers depend on daily. That is why I am introducing legislation that would provide a tax credit to cover 50 percent of a taxpayer’s toll-related expenses for the taxable year, up to $500. Tolls incurred while traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, as well as all toll bridges operated under the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission or the Delaware River Port Authority, would be eligible. Please join me in supporting Pennsylvania commuters, while providing for a robust public transit system in our state. Your consideration and co-sponsorship are appreciated. |
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Introduced as HB329