The lower middle class & the poor are being crushed by the last 2 years of new taxes. PA’s gasoline tax is the highest in the country at 51.9 cents per gallon. The poor & lower middle class are hurt the most by this as they have no extra income to cover it.
The lower middle & poor do not have the money for much enjoyments in life, so most use tobacco, e-cigs, or vaps, & the new taxes crush this one last thing they can enjoy. Better to take a day trip with the family, drive up to 200+ miles to VA 3 or 4 times a year, tank up on gas at $1.90 a gallon & buy about 20 cartons of cigs at $20 a carton less than PA. We bet tobacco tax revenue goes down after this increase as an underground tobacco business flourishes, just like in NY City where estimate say over 70% of tobacco purchases in NYC are made from bootleggers.
And don’t get us started on the oppressive school, county, & local real estate taxes that are causing the lower middle, the elderly fixed income, & the poor to lose their homes to the taxman. PA legislature & gov out to crush those that can afford it least.
PA should have lowered taxes & shrunk the government instead of Tax & Spend with an unbalanced budget.
