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Boback to appear on both Republican and Democratic ballots

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Gary Gregory looks to upset Tarah Toohil in the 116th

When John J. Sweeney saw incumbent state Rep. Karen Boback running for re-election on both the Republican and Democratic ballots, he was inspired to toss his hat into the race.&#8220;Democracy demands choice,&#8221; the Falls Township resident said.The Green Party candidate, Sweeney also currently serves as auditor of the township and is challenging Boback and the Independent Party&#8217;s candidate Louis R. Jasikoff for a two-year state representative term in the 117th District.He is also campaigning for the position of state auditor general.School taxesIf elected to the state House of Representatives, Sweeney has set his sites on several issues, including House Bill 76.HB 76 is designed to replace school property taxes with alternative tax revenue sources such as raising sales tax to seven percent and expanding the tax range on items such as candy and gum, newspapers and magazines, dry cleaning and laundry services and haircuts.The bill would allow school districts that require additional revenue to present a referendum to voters within their district to raise the earned income or personal income tax rates.&#8220;I do not support HB 76,&#8221; he said, citing legislation that, he claims, raises taxes on working people.Instead, Sweeney wants to see a part of Gov. Tom Wolf&#8217;s plan that calls for the implementation of combined reporting to &#8220;ensure corporations are paying their fair share of taxes&#8221; be enacted.Sweeney said requiring companies to report their net income tax would prevent corporate tax avoidance.&#8220;It would close the &#8216;Delaware Loophole,&#8217; which allows corporations to claim their headquarters are located in (income) tax-free states such as Delaware,&#8221; he said.Sweeney does not support Wolf&#8217;s plan to cut corporate income taxes by 50 percent.&#8220;That is giving them a tax break of $750 million dollars,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That tells me there is a lot of money there in corporate tax avoidance that is not being recouped.&#8221;Job creationOn the issue of job creation, Sweeney agrees with the Green Party&#8217;s presidential candidate, Jill Stein, who wants to foster employment by increasing the country&#8217;s manufacturing of equipment to harness green energy.&#8220;We can create jobs and still protect the environment,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We can move this country into the 21st century using green energy.&#8221;Dairy farmersSweeney wants to implement programs to help the region&#8217;s struggling dairy farmers, whose income is negatively impacted due to decreasing raw milk rates, which are determined by the federal government, and rising milk processing fees.Sweeney proposes an innovative idea to allow dairy farmers to grow hemp as a cash crop for research purposes, referring to a species of hemp that does not contain the same psychoactive qualities as marijuana.Fiber from hemp can be used for a variety of items such as clothing and paper, he said. Also, oil from the plant can be used as a lubricant, Sweeney said.Online gamblingSweeney does not see taxing online gambling as a source of sustainable revenue and does not support the industry.&#8220;I am not a fan of sin-taxes,&#8221; he said, although he admitted he would be open to a review of online gambling regulations.<style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Eileen Godinegodin@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>JOHN J. SWEENEYPolitical party: GreenIncumbent: NoAge: 63Hometown: Falls TownshipFamily: Wife, Ellen</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.</shirttailMeta></div>

John J. Sweeney is Green Party candidate for state representative in 117th District