HARRISBURG – Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding Allegheny County having the highest property tax burden in southwestern Pennsylvania under the “leadership” of Democrat gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato.

“A look at Dan Onorato’s record as Allegheny County Executive should be enough for any Pennsylvanian to be concerned about his ability to lead our Commonwealth through these difficult economic times,” Gleason said. “When Dan Onorato faces troubling economic times, his solution is to raise taxes.  Allegheny County has one of the largest property tax burdens in America, and Dan Onorato needs to be held accountable for his mismanagement of the county.

“Dan Onorato is the only candidate in this race with a tax named after him and we can expect him to live up to his reputation if elected by imposing even higher taxes to curb his desire to spend more of our money. We can’t afford to have another 8 years of Rendell-like policies, and that’s why we simply can’t afford Dan Onorato.”

According to a report in Thursday’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Allegheny County’s property tax burden “is among the heaviest in the nation when factoring in home values.” The same article also quotes Allegheny County spokeswoman Megan Dardnell as explaining away the high property taxes by saying, “We have a lot of government.” (Tom Fontaine, “Local Property Taxes Among Highest In U.S.,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 9/30/10)

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Contact: Mike Barley
Press Release