Kutz, Policy Committee Highlight Tax Relief Plan to Make Pennsylvania More Affordable

September 3, 2026

MECHANICSBURG- Rep. Thomas Kutz (R-Cumberland) and the House Republican Policy Committee, led by Chairman David H. Rowe (R-Snyder/Union/Mifflin/Juniata), convened a hearing Tuesday to examine Kutz's Growth and Affordability Plan (GAP), a 10-bill package aimed at lowering costs for families and improving Pennsylvania's economic competitiveness.

The plan includes proposals to reduce Pennsylvania's Personal Income Tax, lower utility and homeownership costs, make childcare more affordable, help families save for major expenses and improve the Commonwealth's tax environment for businesses.

"This hearing underscored just how deeply Pennsylvanians care about building a stronger, more affordable future," said Kutz. "I'm grateful to every colleague, testifier, and community member who engaged with the Growth and Affordability Plan, which I am so proud to sponsor. Their insights and experiences will shape our legislation, easing costs for families, supporting local employers, and ensuring Pennsylvania remains a place where people want to raise families and build businesses. I remain excited about the work ahead."

Testifiers included Neal Lesher, vice president of government affairs for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry; Shelby Linton-Keddie, senior director of government, regulatory policy and external affairs for PPL Electric Utilities; and Matt Madden, operating principal of Keller Williams of Central PA.

Lesher discussed Pennsylvania's progress in reducing its Corporate Net Income Tax while emphasizing the need for additional reforms to help businesses compete and grow.

"For businesses, cash is like water, right? It's going to go to the least restrictive place," Lesher said. "And Pennsylvania, while we're making improvements, definitely has room for improvement."

Linton-Keddie testified that eliminating Pennsylvania's Gross Receipts Tax on electricity, as proposed in the GAP package, would provide direct savings to ratepayers.

"For the average PPL electric residential customer, the savings would be about $12 a month or roughly $150 a year," Linton-Keddie said. "At a time when many families and businesses are carefully managing household budgets and business budgets to meet their basic expenses, this type of direct, transparent, and permanent tax relief should not be dismissed."

She stressed that tax relief must be accompanied by policies that increase Pennsylvania's electricity supply and protect reliability.
"Pennsylvania cannot afford to take potential solutions off the table while affordability and reliability concerns continue to grow,"

Linton-Keddie said. "We believe that our customers deserve affordable, reliable electricity, and that will require a willingness by every one of us to examine every component of the bill and every policy contributing to rising costs."

Madden described a housing shortage that is limiting options for first-time buyers, renters, growing families and seniors. He urged policymakers to modernize the approval process and encourage the construction of a wider range of housing options.

"Housing supply is a chain, and when one part of the chain stops moving, the effects travel all the way down the market," Madden said. "Again, housing affordability is a workforce infrastructure just as much as roads, utilities, and broadband are."

"Affordability is not just about simply what things cost. It's about how much Pennsylvanians get to keep of their own hard-earned money," Rowe said. "Every tax the government imposes leaves less for a family's priorities or business's next investment. The Growth and Affordability Plan puts that question squarely before us: Where can Harrisburg take less so Pennsylvanians can do more?"
The full hearing can be found at youtube.com/@pahousegop.

Representative David H. Rowe
85th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Nancy Nilson
[email protected]