Regulation

Pension Reform Saves Another City

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 1, 2015

A few weeks ago Clairton became the second Pennsylvania city to leave the Act 47 program for distressed municipalities. Nanticoke was the first city to leave earlier this year. Instrumental…

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State Budget

Yet Another Tax Hike Proposal

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 30, 2015

Details are slowly emerging about a potential fifth tax hike proposal in state budget negotiations. This comes after Gov. Wolf’s most recent plan to raise the state sales tax…

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State Budget

No One Wants Higher Taxes

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 24, 2015

The latest reports out of the state Capitol suggest that including a sales tax increase in the budget framework—which we addressed earlier—is off the table. Turns out, lawmakers weren’t too keen on…

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Taxes & Economy

Minimum Wage

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 19, 2015

Pennsylvanians dodged a lot of bad policy in the final budget deal. One less talked about issue was the Governor's $10.10 minimum wage proposal. In the waning days of the…

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Regulation

10 Reasons to Banish the Booze Bureaucracy

  • November 18, 2015

Gov. Wolf is committed to protecting the government's monopoly on the sale of wine and liquor. When talking to reporters this past Monday, the governor’s spokesman said of Wolf…

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Education

Tax Shifts and Education Spending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 18, 2015

As proposals to reduce, reform, or (mostly) eliminate school property taxes continue to be debated in Harrisburg, many readers have asked about our position on a dollar-for-dollar tax shift,…

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Regulation

How is Property Tax Relief Doled Out?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 17, 2015

Among the many questions in a tentative state budget deal is how revenue from the sales tax increase would be distributed. The Associated Press notes this will be…

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