March 26, 2026
Harrisburg, PA— Today, the Pennsylvania Policy Center released the following statement from its executive director, Felicity Williams, Esq., on the Pennsylvania House GOP “Freedom Through Affordability” initiative announced this morning:
“Pennsylvanians are feeling the strain of rising costs every day. From groceries to housing, child care to health care, utilities to gas, working families are doing everything right and still struggling to get ahead. We share the goal of delivering real relief. The question is not whether we act, but whether we do so in a way that is responsible, sustainable, and actually improves people’s lives.
Based on what has been outlined so far, the Pennsylvania House GOP’s ‘Freedom Through Affordability’ initiative raises serious concerns.
This proposal is being framed as a multi-billion-dollar relief effort built largely on a series of six-month tax cuts and tax holidays. Temporary tax holidays and short-term cuts may sound appealing, but they risk creating the appearance of relief while setting us up for deeper cuts, higher costs, or both down the line.
Pennsylvania does not have a spending problem. We have a revenue problem. Each year, we leave over $6 billion in potential revenue on the table by failing to modernize our tax system and close loopholes that allow the wealthiest households and large corporations to avoid paying their fair share. We are already facing a structural deficit and a long-standing public investment deficit that have left our schools underfunded, our infrastructure strained, and essential services stretched thin.
Proposals that reduce revenue without a plan to replace it will ultimately shift costs back onto Pennsylvanians, whether through higher local taxes, increased fees, or cuts to the services families rely on. At a time when federal decisions are already pushing more costs onto states, that approach is not only short-sighted; it is irresponsible.
Pennsylvania also has one of the most upside-down tax systems in the country. The bottom 20% of households pay 15.1% of their income in state and local taxes, while the top 1% pay just 6%. Any serious effort to provide relief must start by fixing that imbalance.
At the Pennsylvania Policy Center, through our For Our Common Wealth campaign, we have been clear about what a responsible path forward looks like: deliver meaningful, sustained relief for working people while also addressing the structural flaws in our tax system. That means pairing any tax cuts for working families with policies that ensure the wealthiest Pennsylvanians and large corporations pay their fair share and closing costly corporate loopholes that drain resources from our communities.
We cannot cut our way to affordability. Real affordability comes from strong public investments, fair taxation, and an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.
We look forward to reviewing the full details of the proposed legislation as it is introduced and conducting a thorough analysis of its impacts on our Commonwealth and on Pennsylvanians across the state.”
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