Pittsburgh New Music Net

I kid. But the budget proposal before the House does exclude the sin tax on arts events, museums, and zoos (should we call it the polar bear tax instead of a sin tax on the arts? Write me and let me know, or leave a comment). From the good folks at Citizens for the Arts in PA,

“Last night the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Rules Committee sent a tax code bill to the full House of Representatives that does NOT include a sales tax on admissions to performances, museums, and zoos.  The bill does include some new revenue streams such as a tax on smokeless tobacco and a severance tax on natural gas.  This bill is a change to the handshake agreement that was reached on September 18, 2009 between Governor Rendell and leaders of 3 of the 4 legislative caucuses.”

What does this mean? Probably that the budget will continue to be in a stalemate for the foreseeable future and that we can expect to see more revenue raising proposals coming out of Harrisburg that are more suited for a story in The Onion, than a meaningful state budget. Citizens for the Arts in PA has helpful resources to continue to advocate for the arts, and if you haven’t signed up for their e-mail alerts, I recommend it.

Now. The PA House is planning to vote on this issue TODAY. So call, don’t write, e-mail, text, or tweet. Call. A reminder that the proposed FY09–10 state budget is set to include an amusement tax on arts events, museums, and zoos (zoos!). Not sports events, not arena shows, just people who want to go hear a good string quartet, enjoy a painting, and see polar bears swimming around (preferably all at once). Every non-profit is struggling right now. Donations are down, and of course, endowment income is down, so to single out arts, education, and science non-profits for what amounts to a sin tax is just bonkers.

Citizens for the Arts in PA has a great tool for quickly finding contact info for your legislators, so please call before 5 p.m. today.