Philly Chamber president: Budget plan not about the status quo

The Pennsylvania budget plan presented Tuesday by Gov. Tom Corbett earned rave reviews from Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce President Rob Wonderling. 

“It’s a budget that actually represents strategic investments,” said Wonderling, referring to long-term expenditures for things such as infrastructure and early childhood education.

Wonderling, who says Pennsylvania’s aging transportation systems are a big concern for the chamber, supports raising the cap on a tax on gasoline distributors as a way to raise funding for mass transit projects.

“This clearly is not a budget about the status quo allocation of public resources,” he said.

He praised the governor for continuing to phase out the stock and franchise taxes that businesses currently pay.

In terms of funding, the major agency getting the biggest raise in Corbett’s proposal is the Department of Community and Economic Development.

Marketing dollars to attract tourists, which is a priority for Wonderling, is flat-funded with the same budget as last year.