State Budget
Spending Increases in the “Framework Budget”
As pointed out yesterday, one of the six sticky items in the Pennsylvania budget negotiations is how much taxpayer money to spend. The $30.788 billion “framework budget” passed by…
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Is Pennsylvania’s Income Tax Too Low?
Is an income tax hike in Pennsylvania’s future? Over the weekend, Charles Thompson of PennLive reported on the possibility, citing multiple sources who would not rule out a personal…
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Six Unresolved Issues in PA Budget
The PA House is back in session this week, “sorting through hundreds of pages of legislation” related to the state budget. As Bob points out, while passing a…
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Crisis Budgeting Isn’t Governing
By vetoing budget after budget, denying funds to schools and nonprofits, and even holding up scholarships for low-income students to attend schools of their choice, Gov. Wolf has done…
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Senate’s Watered-Down Wine Plan: A Missed Opportunity
Last night, the Senate Law and Justice Committee advanced legislation making modest changes to Pennsylvania's irrational alcohol laws. The good: Limited wine expansion. Establishments with a restaurant or…
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Are WAMs Back in the Budget?
Bad news for good government: After reforms a few years ago eliminated “WAMs” in the state budget, these discretionary funds seem to have been resurrected. On Monday, the state Senate…
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Latest Pension Bill a Mixed Bag
Yesterday the State Senate passed a revised pension reform bill (SB 1082) including a side-by-side hybrid, with a smaller defined benefit pension and a defined contribution…
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With Details, Wolf Budget “Framework” Looks Even Worse
Now that the Pennsylvania Senate has begun passing legislation, taxpayers can finally see what’s in Gov. Wolf’s “framework” for a new budget. Based on the passage of SB 1073 and…
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17,496 Reasons to Reject Higher Taxes
How high would you say Pennsylvania’s state and local tax burden is per family of four? $5,000?$10,000? Maybe even $15,000? If you guessed the latter, you’d be close – but…
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