PITTSBURGH -- Republicans on Allegheny County Council will introduce legislation on Tuesday to reopen the 2008 county budget and repeal both the drink and car rental taxes.

The county received more than $19 million from gambling revenues last week, which is money that's been earmarked toward airport debt, but Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said that's exactly where that money will go.

But Republicans on the council said that money should go toward transportation, making the new 10 percent taxes on poured alcoholic drinks and car rentals unnecessary.

Onorato said suggestions by the four Republican Council members that the money could be used for general county funds is wrong and that the members are "hoodwinking" the public if they said it could repeal the drink tax.

"You know my position," said Onorato. "If they repeal this, they're going to require me to give $28 million of property taxes of the people of Allegheny County to the Port Authority. And I'm standing here saying, no more property taxes to the Port Authority."

The drink and rental car taxes went into effect on Jan. 1 to fund the county's subsidy of the Port Authority. The subsidy allows the authority to leverage matching state funds.

On Monday, Onorato will discuss the situation at a news conference scheduled for 4 p.m. at the county courthouse.

---

Related Links:
More County News

Get RSS | E-Mail Alerts

---