Beating the Tom-Tom for natural gas tax

I wonder how many campaign appearances Tom Corbett will be making in Delaware County this summer and fall with Tom McGarrigle?

Call them Tom-Tom.

Our Delco Tom was beating the drum this week for something that the governor believes to be anathema.

That would be a new tax, this time on natural gas extraction from the state's burgeoning Marcellus Shale regions.

McGarrigle, the county council chairman who would like to join Corbett in Harrisburg as the senator from the 26th District, this week proposed a 4 percent tax, with the entire proceeds going to education funding in the state.

Corbett rode into office three years ago on a no-tax pledge. He has resisted efforts to place new taxes on natural gas, instead getting the Legislature to go along with an "impact fee." Most people believe the state is not getting anywhere near its fair share from this deal. He now faces an uphill re-election battle, with his numbers trailing badly in most polls.

Corbett knows how crucial the Philadelphia suburbs are in this race, including what is usually a solid GOP voting bloc here in Delco. But these two Republicans could not be further apart on this issue.

It will be interesting to see how McGarrigle and Corbett interact on this issue.

We take a stand on our editorial page today. So which way do you think we're going?

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