We demonstrate that the deprotected photoresist poly(4-hydroxy styrene) is a polyelectrolyte when dissolved in aqueous base solutions. This polyelectrolyte effect manifests itself by the well-known monomer-monomer correlations as measured by small-angle neutron scattering. The correlation peak at the finite wave vector is a function of the solution ionic strength and polymer concentration. The weakening of the polyelectrolyte effects with added salts and excess base is also demonstrated. These studies emphasize the role of salt additives and aqueous base concentration and their influence on equilibrium solution properties such as the second virial coefficient and single chain radius of gyration. The fundamental role of these equilibrium properties with respect to the dissolution process is discussed.