HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 22, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Pennsylvania's job creators are waiting to see if Gov. Ed Rendell will say, "Bah humbug" to job creation in the Commonwealth with a veto of a modest business tax reduction bill (H.B. 515) that would help to create a stronger, more competitive business climate.
"Reminiscent of Ebenezer Scrooge's dealings with Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family, the governor continues to show disinterest in the struggles facing Pennsylvania's job creators," said Maura Donley, vice president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. "Pennsylvania employers have been waiting three years for the governor to pay more than lip service to being pro-business -- waiting for the governor to prove that he wants a business-friendly environment for the Commonwealth. The wait is now down to two days."
The governor has until December 24 to either veto H.B. 515 or sign it into law.
Donley said if there ever were a time to change the well-substantiated perception that Pennsylvania is unfriendly to business and take steps to create a stronger, more competitive business climate, it is now.
"Study after study shows that Pennsylvania continues to lose ground to our competitor states," she added. "House Bill 515 contains modest tax reductions and represents a small, but important step forward. More importantly, there is money available now to enact these reductions when they take effect in the next fiscal year."
Donley said that at the conclusion of 'A Christmas Carol', Dickens writes that Scrooge was "better than his word."
"On behalf of our more than 12,000 members, the Chamber urges the governor to sign House Bill 515 so that Pennsylvania's job creators can begin to say that of our governor."
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is the state's largest broad-based business association, with more than 12,000 members statewide. More information is available on the Chamber's website at www.pachamber.org.
The PA Chamber of Business and Industry logo is available at: http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=353