Education
What You Need to Know About Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 State Budget Deal
Summary Pennsylvania’s 2026–27 state budget deal is an improvement over Gov. Josh Shapiro’s reckless proposal, but it still spends too much and leaves taxpayers facing an even larger long-term structural…
Read More: What You Need to Know About Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 State Budget DealPennsylvania’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.
State 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
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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 RhetoricState Budget
Tax Everyone But the Guy Behind the Tree
Gov. Rendell’s hypocrisy on tax policy is on full display this budget season. While Rendell is demanding higher taxes on individuals and most businesses, he is also working to preserve…
Commentary
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