Every family, business owner, and taxpayer in Pennsylvania should be able to increase their financial security without undue interference from our state government. Free-market policies that limit taxes, allow entrepreneurs to innovate and create jobs, and offer stability to families will put our state on track to become a national leader. Policies that enact spending limits, cut taxes, and reduce regulations will help Pennsylvania avoid debt and restore sound fiscal planning that will benefit citizens in the years to come.

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…

Media

Read More: 10 Reasons to Banish the Booze Bureaucracy

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,…

Media

Read More: Tax Shifts and Education Spending

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…

Media

Read More: How is Property Tax Relief Doled Out?

Education

Philly Union Priorities: Politics over Teachers

  • James Paul
  • November 17, 2015

How would you feel if your employer took funds meant for your health insurance and spent them on partisan politics? Sadly, this is a reality for thousands of teachers in…

Media

Read More: Philly Union Priorities: Politics over Teachers

Education

For Property Tax Relief, Give Voters Control

  • James Paul
  • November 13, 2015

Should voters have the right to approve property tax increases? This is a central point of contention within a rumored budget framework that purports to provide Pennsylvanians with property tax…

Media

Read More: For Property Tax Relief, Give Voters Control

State Budget

Horse Racing Subsidies vs. Property Tax Relief

  • November 13, 2015

Is a $600 million tax increase needed to end a five month-long budget impasse? Lawmakers are considering it. Yet, a shortage of tax revenue is not the source of…

Media

Read More: Horse Racing Subsidies vs. Property Tax Relief

State Budget

Budget Hope on the Horizon?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 13, 2015

After nearly five months of gridlock, a new state budget framework was announced this week. At this point, it’s tempting to call any progress on budget agreement a victory, but…

Commentary

Read More: Budget Hope on the Horizon?

Regulation

Pa. Could Face 2nd-Highest Sales Tax in America

  • November 10, 2015

Pa. Could Face 2nd-Highest Sales Tax in America Latest Budget Plan Seeks Biggest Sales Tax Hike Since 1956 November 10, 2015, Harrisburg, Pa.—Pennsylvanians may soon pay more for…

Press Release

Read More: Pa. Could Face 2nd-Highest Sales Tax in America

Taxes & Economy

New Details on Proposed Tax Increase

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 10, 2015

As movement towards a budget deal progresses, more details have emerged regarding the sales tax increase we reported on yesterday. Let's remember that before we ask working families…

Media

Read More: New Details on Proposed Tax Increase

Regulation

Backdoor $600 Million Tax Increase in Rumored Deal

  • November 9, 2015

Backdoor $600 Million Tax Increase in Rumored Budget Deal Sales Tax for Property Tax Swap Rumor Leaves Taxpayers on the Hook November 9, 2015, Harrisburg, Pa.—The…

Press Release

Read More: Backdoor $600 Million Tax Increase in Rumored Deal

State Budget

A Stealth Tax Increase?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 9, 2015

Rumors about a proposed budget continue to swirl in Harrisburg. One such rumor is that the deal would include an increase in the sales tax rate to be used for…

Media

Read More: A Stealth Tax Increase?

Regulation

Corporate Welfare and Cronyism in Bethlehem

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 5, 2015

Election day was a quiet affair in most communities, but in Bethlehem residents used the a local election to protest the appearance of cronyism in connection with a new corporate…

Media

Read More: Corporate Welfare and Cronyism in Bethlehem

Public Union Democracy

Dear Kids

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 4, 2015

On October 21, more than 100 days after his veto touched off Pennsylvania’s ongoing state budget impasse, Gov. Tom Wolf sent a letter to the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers…

Media

Read More: Dear Kids

Criminal Justice Reform

Protect Property Owners from Unreasonable Forfeiture

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • November 4, 2015

Our justice system is supposed to presume innocence until guilt is proven, but every year, Pennsylvanians are stripped of about $14 million on allegations that their property was involved in…

Commentary

Read More: Protect Property Owners from Unreasonable Forfeiture

Regulation

A PLCB Special: Red Ink

  • November 3, 2015

Supporters of the state liquor monopoly defend the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) as a cash spigot for the state, which is one of the reasons they refuse to support privatization.

Media

Read More: A PLCB Special: Red Ink

Education

Holding All Schools Hostage

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 29, 2015

Fell Charter Elementary School near Scranton will stop paying teachers next month and the school is considering a four-day week thanks to the state budget stalemate. Fell's announcement is…

Media

Read More: Holding All Schools Hostage

Health Care

Obamacare Premiums Rise, Again

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 28, 2015

Mark your calendars (for disappointment)! On November 1 healthcare.gov will launch its third open enrollment season. Here in Pennsylvania, premiums for the second highest silver plan will climb, on average, by 11…

Media

Read More: Obamacare Premiums Rise, Again

State Budget

Wolf Increasingly Irrelevant in Budget Debate

  • October 28, 2015

Wolf Increasingly Irrelevant in Budget Debate Veto Override Attempt Shows Gov’s Grip Slipping October 28, 2015, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Today, the state Senate attempted to send schools much-needed funding by overriding…

Press Release

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Government Accountability

A Revolving Door of Corruption

  • James Paul
  • October 26, 2015

The revolving door of politics—when top government officials change careers and become consultants for the industry they once regulated—is alive and well in Pennsylvania. Except in the case of the…

Media

Read More: A Revolving Door of Corruption

State Budget

Lawmakers Move to Protect Posterity

  • October 23, 2015

The State House recently passed two bills designed to chip away at the commonwealth’s mountain of debt—12th highest among states as recently as 2012, and only growing since. The…

Media

Read More: Lawmakers Move to Protect Posterity

State Budget

Wolf’s Good Cop, Bad Cop Act

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 23, 2015

During 100-plus days of the state budget impasse, Gov. Wolf’s words and actions have been consistently inconsistent, leaving taxpayers and lawmakers confused. Commonwealth Foundation President and CEO Matt Brouillette noted,…

Media

Read More: Wolf’s Good Cop, Bad Cop Act