Article: House Republicans declare state income tax boost dead

HARRISBURG -- House Republicans on Thursday wrote an obituary for Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed increase in the state income tax.

"The PIT (personal income tax) increase is clearly dead," House Minority Leader Sam Smith, R-Punxsutawney, said to cheers from his caucus on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda.

By all appearances, it is dead -- at least for now.

Taxpayers "have expressed displeasure with increasing the PIT, and we've heard that message," said House Speaker Keith McCall, D- Carbon County, after negotiations on a budget for 2009-10 broke down in the House.

Rendell's spokesman Chuck Ardo called Smith's declaration "premature."

Rendell last month proposed a 16 percent increase ...

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