The Pennsylvania state budget has been locked in a stalemate now for 154 days. Governor Tom Wolf (D) and the predominantly Republican General Assembly continue to disagree on a state funding stream during the budget negotiations. Senate and House Republicans have rejected both a proposed increase in the state’s personal income tax and, most recently, an increase in the state sales tax.

In a new preliminary budget plan that Republican lawmakers are circulating, a seven percent sales tax on admission to arts and cultural institutions is being considered. While multiple organizations, goods, and services are being considered in the proposed sales tax package, arts and cultural organizations will be the only nonprofits affected. Many fear, if the sales tax package is passed, small arts and cultural organization’s administration costs will greatly increase, and arts access to low to moderate income families will be impacted, as well as group ticket sales for school programs.

In response, Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania launched an advocacy alert to have constituents contact their state legislators and is being promoted by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. Rep. Jake Wheatley (D-Allegheny), minority chair of the House Finance Committee, commented, “I would not want to see our nonprofits and our museums and our arts and culture harmed unnecessarily because we in Harrisburg don’t want to do what is a little politically difficult to do, and that is to get a broad-based tax to resolve our issues, instead of trying to nickel and dime our way out of our problems.”