State Budget

State Government is Spending Money it Doesn’t Have

  • July 6, 2016

Pennsylvania is spending taxpayer money it doesn’t have. Yesterday the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released its report on revenue collections for the past fiscal year. Total revenue came in…

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Taxes & Economy

PA Manufacturing Withers Under High Tax Load

  • Gordon Tomb
  • July 6, 2016

As Harrisburg searches for politically acceptable tax hikes to fund a record-breaking budget, Pennsylvania’s attractiveness to manufacturers continues to decline. According to a study reported by the Central…

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State Budget

Broad Heating Tax Would Hit Millions

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • July 5, 2016

Last week, lawmakers and the governor agreed to a $31.6 billion budget, a five percent increase in spending from last year and the largest one-year jump in spending since 2006.

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Public Union Democracy

Union Demands vs. Fiscal Realities

  • June 30, 2016

One government union’s insatiable appetite for more tax dollars has hit a brick wall. The Wolf Administration is in the process of negotiating a contract with the state’s largest…

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Education

Will the Education Code Protect School Choice?

  • James Paul
  • June 30, 2016

In addition to general appropriations (SB 1073) and the fiscal code (SB 1320), lawmakers are finalizing language in the education code, HB 530. This legislation promises significant reforms…

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Regulation

What’s in the Senate Budget?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 29, 2016

Earlier today the state Senate passed an amended version of a House budget proposal, which included the largest spending increase in a decade. The House must now agree to the Senate's changes before sending…

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Education

2015 SAT Scores

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 29, 2016

The SAT, or Scholastic Aptitude Test, is an important indicator of public education quality in Pennsylvania. Currently, the commonwealth ranks 36th out of the 50 states and 3 US territories (Washington…

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Education

The Taxpayers? False Choice

  • James Paul
  • June 28, 2016

Governor Wolf and legislative leaders present Pennsylvanians with two options. The first requires taxpayers to fork over hundreds of millions in higher taxes. The second calls for steep cuts…

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State Budget

What Is in the House Budget?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 28, 2016

Last night, the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee advanced a $31.6 billion general fund budget. This budget is now lined up for a final vote in the House. Here is…

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