Update!
House passes it for the 2nd time, why can't it just be a law already! It's been at least 3 years and it is a common sense law: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/11/bill_takes_shine_off_pa_lotter.html
Original Post:
For the last couple of years I have listened to PA legislators complain about PA being broke. Their solutions are to increase taxes, blame others, and pass bills that don’t really do much of anything. I would love for PA legislators to take some advice from Larry the Cable Guy’s famous quote and to “Git R Done!”
House passes it for the 2nd time, why can't it just be a law already! It's been at least 3 years and it is a common sense law: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/11/bill_takes_shine_off_pa_lotter.html
Original Post:
For the last couple of years I have listened to PA legislators complain about PA being broke. Their solutions are to increase taxes, blame others, and pass bills that don’t really do much of anything. I would love for PA legislators to take some advice from Larry the Cable Guy’s famous quote and to “Git R Done!”
There is one legislator I approach back in December 2010 that is trying to do just that. I approached State Representative C. Adam Harris (34th District – Mifflin/Juniata/Snyder Counties) about the need for a change in the law to make it possible for PA Department of Revenue to intercept PA lottery winnings from those who are delinquent in back taxes and have non-filed returns. I explained to Rep. Harris that it seems silly to me that PA Department of Revenue checks for back child support, but yet fails to check their own records for monies and returns due prior to cutting a check to a PA lottery winner. PA Lottery is part of the PA Department of Revenue so verifying winners don’t have delinquencies seems like a “no brainer” to me. State Rep. Harris agreed and drafted a bill, HB520, which passed the House in April 2011 and seems to be currently dying in the Senate.
First and foremost I have to give credit State Representative C. Adam Harris, for being approachable, good listener, and for researching and drafting HB520. But unfortunately he alone cannot make this commonsense bill into law. So why can’t those in government work together and “Git R Done!”? This bill has nothing to do with Democrats vs. Republicans. This bill is straight forward and just makes plain simple sense. It’s not like PA couldn’t use the money. Just in the year 2010 there were 90 lottery winners with prizes greater than $2,500 identified that owed back taxes. So why wouldn’t both Democrats and Republicans want to pass HB520? Git R’ Done!
Some other things to “Git Done!” would be to change the law so that PA Department of Revenue collection agents can take credit card payments. I can pay other bills this way, why not PA Revenue bills? One of the rules of business is to make it easy for your customers to pay you. Again this is commonsense, Git R Done!
Also, why does PA Department of Revenue continue to give a 1% discount to businesses that pay their sales/use tax on time? Shouldn’t they be doing this any ways? Isn’t avoiding penalty and interest charges enough of an incentive not to pay late. Besides I don’t get a discount for paying my personal income tax on time. Git R Done!
There are a lot of little things like I mentioned above that can be done and should be done before coming to the taxpayer with an open hand and once again asking for more money. So my question to those in legislature is why you people can’t seem to “Git R Done!”
*My above letter was also published by Lewistown Sentinel:
http://lewistownsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/533740/Why-can-t-legislators-be-like-Larry-the-Cable-Guy-.html?nav=5059
*My above letter was also published by Lewistown Sentinel:
http://lewistownsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/533740/Why-can-t-legislators-be-like-Larry-the-Cable-Guy-.html?nav=5059
-Timothy Kuhn
McAlisterville, PA
