This page was last updated on April 20, 2011.
Corbett’s reasoning is lame at best; Gerald (Duke) McCoy; Beaver County Times; April 20, 2011. An editor’s note asserts, “The writer is president of Ambridge Council.”
Mr. McCoy wrote at least 13 letters since 2006. Previous critiques of McCoy letters are here and here.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“I agree with Sunday’s letter to the editor from Janet Caldarelli on the taxing of gas drilling companies.
“While attending the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs conference in Hershey last weekend, I heard a speech by Gov. Tom Corbett on taxing of gas drilling and cutting school funding, and his reasoning was lame at best.
“He said the gas companies are creating jobs, and I have to agree. But that is not a good reason not to tax them when small businesses also create jobs but have to pay their fair share of taxes.”
[RWC] As I wrote in my critique of the Caldarelli letter, “gas companies” pay taxes just as any other business. What PA is not doing is charging a royalty for extracted gas, a charge the Times finally conceded is “a tax that is paid by consumers.” In any case, using Times figures, tax revenue, regardless of who paid it, would only address about 6.2% of the projected deficit and would be less than 1% of the General Fund (GF) budget. On the other hand, education spending consumes 38.9% of the GF budget. The idea taxing gas extraction would have any material effect on the education cuts is misleading at best. Also, as a state we’re not in a good position tax-wise and adding another tax would make a bad situation worse.
“The governor also pointed out that he did not single out education when he made his cuts, that they were across-the-board cuts and we all have to suffer our fair share. I disagree.”
[RWC] Mr. McCoy can “disagree” only if he doesn’t look at the budget. The cuts “were across-the-board cuts.”
“Thomas Jefferson once said that a building is only as good as its foundation, and I believe he was speaking of our educational system when he said that.
“If our governor cuts funding to our educational system, he will weaken our ability to compete with foreign countries while making it harder to educate our own children.
“Our legislators must say ‘no’ to this legislation.”
[RWC] For my comments, please read my critique of “Corbett’s priorities make no sense.”
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