“Unrealistic and unsustainable.”

We agree with state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township, in his assessment of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget.

The $45.8 billion plan, as Hamm, state Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport and state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township all noted, would deplete the state’s reserves. As Yaw pointed out, such recklessness would mean the state would be confronted by higher borrowing costs in the future and be more poorly prepared to manage any economic downturn.

The $45.8 billion plan also spends about $1.3 billion more than the 2022-23 budget. As Flick noted, there are two ways to maintain a balanced budget: spend less or collect more revenue. Every Pennsylvanian should share the concerns of our state lawmakers that Shapiro’s proposed budget puts Pennsylvania on a path to higher taxes.

As the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review noted in an editorial last week, the Independent Fiscal Office already places Pennsylvania at 21st for the scope of its tax burdens out of the 50 states and Washington D.C.

With about 30 states already offering a better tax climate to businesses and families, we must be concerned about the losses in opportunities, as employers and employees alike pass Pennsylvania over for homes where they can keep more of their money.

“We need government to recognize the load they are asking the people to pull — and to realize when that load is heavier than it needs to be,” the editorial board of the Tribune-Review wrote.

They are, like our local lawmakers, correct. And this proposed budget, unfortunately, fails to account for what Pennsylvania already asks of its taxpayers and risks a future where they are asked for even more.