Education
New Survey Shows Overwhelming Support for Bipartisanship in Pa. Budget Process
Harrisburg, Pa., July 2, 2024 — As Gov. Josh Shapiro failed to enact the 2024–25 Pennsylvania budget by the June 30th deadline, voters overwhelmingly support increased bipartisanship in the budget process,…
Read More: New Survey Shows Overwhelming Support for Bipartisanship in Pa. Budget ProcessPennsylvania’s complex state budget has enabled policymakers to keep taxpayers in the dark when it comes to state spending. Year after year, some elected officials use budget gimmicks to both make the budget appear balanced and to secure their own agendas. Pennsylvanians deserve reforms that bring true transparency to the budgeting process. We must limit spending growth to a sustainable rate, ensuring the state government—like hardworking taxpayers—live within its means.
2024 state budget resources
State Budget
PA Auditor General Offers Ways to Balance Budget – Without Tax Hike
Add one more Democrat to the list of those who don’t think we should raise the state income tax – Auditor General Jack Wagner has release a series of…
Media
Read More: PA Auditor General Offers Ways to Balance Budget – Without Tax HikeState Budget
Balancing the Budget: Another Rendell Lie?
The Rendell administration has been saying for weeks that the budget passed by the Senate in May (SB 850) is “$1.5 billion out of balance”. As John Micek…
Media
Read More: Balancing the Budget: Another Rendell Lie?State Budget
Rendell’s Actual Budget Proposal
Number crunchers around Harrisburg may remember last week, I posted a spreadsheet of the Pennsylvania state budget proposals, but had to guess at Governor Rendell’s allocation of federal stimulus…
Media
Read More: Rendell’s Actual Budget ProposalState Budget
Budget Facts 2009: PA State Budget Overview
Pennsylvania faces a $3 billion tax revenue shortfall in the state’s General Fund Budget. Competing proposals from Gov. Ed Rendell and the Republican-led Senate differ on raising taxes and reducing/reprioritizing spending.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Budget Facts 2009: PA State Budget OverviewState Budget
PA House Democrats Against Tax Hikes
Contrary to the Rendell administration’s claims that many Republicans will support a personal income tax increase, the opposite it likely true. John Micek writes that there are maybe…
Media
Read More: PA House Democrats Against Tax HikesState Budget
Reject Rendell’s Zugzwang
Observers of the state budget process under Gov. Rendell and a divided General Assembly know that it is akin to a high-stakes chess match, replete with public relations offensives and…
Commentary
Read More: Reject Rendell’s ZugzwangState Budget
Pennsylvania Budget and Tax Updates
Here are some brief highlights on the Pennsylvania budget: Brian O’Neill editorializes angrily on “America’s Largest Full-Time State Legislature” failing to do their job, again, and includes phone numbers.
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Budget and Tax UpdatesState Budget
Do Rendell’s Budget Numbers Add Up?
Mario Cattabiani and Angela Couloumbis take a look at some of Gov. Rendell’s latest budget rhetoric, namely his claim that 50% of Pennsylvanians don’t pay the Personal Income Tax,…
Media
Read More: Do Rendell’s Budget Numbers Add Up?Government Accountability
10 Ways to Balance the Budget Without Tax Hikes
Contrary to the Governor’s rhetoric, there are a plethora of reforms and spending cuts that can balance the budget without firing our police, evicting our elderly, or dumbing down our…
Media
Read More: 10 Ways to Balance the Budget Without Tax HikesState Budget
Pennsylvania Budget Proposals – Revised Spreadsheet Now Online
The Rendell administration has released a new version of his Pennsylvania state budget proposal, unfortunately this is only available in a PDF document, and does not include the allocation…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Budget Proposals – Revised Spreadsheet Now OnlineRegulation
Budget Facts 2009: Cigarette Taxes
Pennsylvania faces a $3 billion tax revenue shortfall in the state’s General Fund Budget. Competing proposals from Gov. Ed Rendell and the Republican-led Senate differ on raising taxes and reducing/reprioritizing…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Budget Facts 2009: Cigarette TaxesState Budget
Budget Facts 2009: Natural Gas Severance Tax
Pennsylvania faces a $3 billion tax revenue shortfall in the state’s General Fund Budget. Competing proposals from Gov. Ed Rendell and the Republican-led Senate differ on raising taxes and reducing/reprioritizing…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Budget Facts 2009: Natural Gas Severance TaxState Budget
Budget Facts 2009: Personal Income Tax and Job Losses
Pennsylvania faces a $3 billion tax revenue shortfall in the state's General Fund Budget. Competing proposals from Gov. Ed Rendell and the Republican-led Senate differ on raising taxes and reducing/reprioritizing…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Budget Facts 2009: Personal Income Tax and Job LossesState Budget
Why Are State Budget Negotiations Secret Meetings?
With all the debate surrounding the Budget this summer, a concerned taxpayer has the right to see exactly what his representatives and legislature are doing on the people’s time,…
Media
Read More: Why Are State Budget Negotiations Secret Meetings?Government Accountability
PA General Assembly Costs $50,000 Per Day for One Hour Sessions
ABC 27 News has a story on the high cost of the General Assembly – $50,000 per day – to have sessions during the budget impasse. This is very…
Media
Read More: PA General Assembly Costs $50,000 Per Day for One Hour SessionsState Budget
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Against Tax Hikes
The Commonwealth Foundation today launched a new effort to collect names of Pennsylvania lawmakers who agree with President Obama when he said “In an economy like this, the…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Lawmakers Against Tax HikesState Budget
Is Rendell Lying About State Police Layoffs?
Gov. Rendell has been quoted on numerous occasions claiming the budget passed by the Pennsylvania Senate last month would result in the layoff of 800 state police. We pointed out…
Media
Read More: Is Rendell Lying About State Police Layoffs?State Budget
Where does your legislator stand on raising taxes?
This email was just sent to your state Senators and Representatives… Stay tuned!_______ June 30, 2009 Dear Senator/Representative: President Barack Obama said, “In an economy…
Media
Read More: Where does your legislator stand on raising taxes?State Budget
Will Pennsylvania Budget Lead to Dogs and Cats Living Together?
After weeks of new releases, press conferences, and taxpayer-funded bus tours about the horrors that will ensue if the Pennsylvania state budget is $27.3 billion instead of…
Media
Read More: Will Pennsylvania Budget Lead to Dogs and Cats Living Together?State Budget
Rendell’s “Pay the Inmates, not the Guards” Strategy
The Morning Call’s John Micek has a follow-up article to yesterday’s revelation that inmates would be getting paid while the guards would not during the current budget impasse.
Media
Read More: Rendell’s “Pay the Inmates, not the Guards” StrategyState Budget
Rebutting Rendell’s Rhetoric
Rendell’s propaganda campaign continues today, with another press conference (his sixty-first, in support of legislation that does not yet exist) with tax eaters asking for more tax dollars. Rendell latest…
Media
Read More: Rebutting Rendell’s Rhetoric