State Budget
Pennsylvanians Are in Dire Need of Tax Reform
Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. Today is Tax Day. Each year, April 15th reminds us of the costliness of government spending – and why lawmakers must reduce this financial burden on…
Read More: Pennsylvanians Are in Dire Need of Tax ReformHigh taxes make for a slow-growing economy. And communities feel the pinch of high taxes as more and more native Pennsylvanians leave the Keystone State to prosper elsewhere. To remain economically competitive, Pennsylvania must lower state taxes and ensure businesses have the opportunity to succeed. Lower taxes will incentivize more individuals to call Pennsylvania their home, ultimately spurring our statewide economy forward.
Health Care
Repeal It? Wouldn’t be the First Time
National Review has a good story of how Kentucky passed health care mandate like those contained in the new federal law, including guaranteed issue and community rating, in 1994.
Media
Read More: Repeal It? Wouldn’t be the First TimeHealth Care
Hate Mail on “Slacker Mandate”
A reader took exception for my use of the term “slacker mandate” to describe laws requiring insurance companies to cover young adults on their parents’ plans up to age 26…
Media
Read More: Hate Mail on “Slacker Mandate”Government Accountability
Pennsylvania Tax Day Tea Parties
We’ve been getting a lot of calls from folks who want to attend a tax day tea party. Tea Party Patriots has a good list of the events taking…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Tax Day Tea PartiesTaxes & Economy
Grading Wagner’s Infrastructure Agenda: Revise and Resubmit
PA Gubernatorial Candidate Jack Wagner put out an a proposal for infrastructure today. Not much in the way of specifics or substance contained within, or even much to write…
Media
Read More: Grading Wagner’s Infrastructure Agenda: Revise and ResubmitState Budget
Build America Bonds Encourage “Buy Now, Pay Later” Mentality
As part of the 2009 stimulus package, President Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner created a new program to subsidize municipal bonds. Unlike traditional municipal bonds, Build America Bonds are…
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Read More: Build America Bonds Encourage “Buy Now, Pay Later” MentalityRegulation
FCC’s Net Neutrality Gets Shot Down… For Now!
The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) effort to regulate companies that provide Internet access came to halt yesterday. In 2008 FCC sanctioned Comcast for slowing…
Media
Read More: FCC’s Net Neutrality Gets Shot Down… For Now!Government Accountability
Rendell: Everyone Supports Higher Taxes
At his press conference announcing that the lawyers at the Federal Highway Administration were all less intelligent that his staff, based on their decision to reject I-80 tolls, Gov. Rendell…
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Read More: Rendell: Everyone Supports Higher TaxesState Budget
PA Budget Facts 2010: Pennsylvania Sales Tax Expansion
Gov. Rendell has proposed lowering Pennsylvania's Sales & Use Tax from 6% to 4% and expanding the tax to 74 goods and services currently not taxed. This is the fourth…
Fact Sheet
Read More: PA Budget Facts 2010: Pennsylvania Sales Tax ExpansionHealth Care
Mass: What PA has to Look Forward to on Health Insurance
Massachusetts – with an individual mandate, an insurance exchange, taxpayer subsidies for insurance, and a regulatory board overseeing all health insurance – was seen as the model for health care…
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Read More: Mass: What PA has to Look Forward to on Health InsuranceEnergy
Budget Facts 2010: Natural Gas Severance Tax
Gov. Rendell has proposed a tax of 5% on the value of extracted natural gas, plus $.047 per thousand cubic feet of extracted gas. There is an exemption for marginal…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Budget Facts 2010: Natural Gas Severance TaxTaxes & Economy
Alternative Energy Should Be the People’s Choice
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry has recent white paper about House Bill 80; a bill that seeks to increase Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard. The Chamber…
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Read More: Alternative Energy Should Be the People’s ChoiceState Budget
Rendell’s Higher Taxes Equals Fewer Jobs
Pennsylvania's latest budget shortfall is the result of a pattern in which state legislators abandon fiscal prudence in "good years" and face spending cuts or tax hikes in down times.
Commentary
Read More: Rendell’s Higher Taxes Equals Fewer JobsHealth Care
State Legislators’ Guide to Health Insurance Solution
Council for Affordable Health Insurance and ALEC have released their 2010 State Legislators Guide to Health Insurance Solutions. Here is a PDF version of the full report…
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Read More: State Legislators’ Guide to Health Insurance SolutionHealth Care
Repeal Obamacare Ad in Erie Times-News
The Manufacturer and Business Assocation, along with a whole slew of businesses in the Erie area, ran a full page add in the Erie Times-News calling for lawmakers to…
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Read More: Repeal Obamacare Ad in Erie Times-NewsTaxes & Economy
Facts and Myths About a Natural Gas Tax
Gov. Rendell has labeled himself as the “best ally” of the natural gas industry, an odd statement for someone who frequently gets the facts wrong. Here are some corrections…
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Read More: Facts and Myths About a Natural Gas TaxHealth Care
How the Health Care Law is Financed
The Tax Foundation has a useful chart showing how the health care law is financed over the next 10 years (keep in mind most of the taxes don’t kick…
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Read More: How the Health Care Law is FinancedGovernment Accountability
Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Candidate Survey
The Commonwealth Foundation asked each of the candidates in the May primary for Pennsylvania Governor to answer a series of 20 questions about state economic and fiscal policy. Answers…
Press Release
Read More: Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Candidate SurveyState Budget
Debating Taxes on Services
The New York Times has a piece on expanding state sales taxes to cover many services, with a specific focus on Pennsylvania. The articles focus primarily on the “modernization”…
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Read More: Debating Taxes on ServicesHealth Care
Who the Health Cares About the Constitution?
Constitutional questions have dogged the health care bill since its introduction. But rather than address these issues head on, supporters of the legislation have shrugged them off. Speaker Nancy Pelosi,…
Commentary
Read More: Who the Health Cares About the Constitution?Taxes & Economy
Which Sectors are Adding Jobs in Pennsylvania?
As reported earlier, Pennsylvania lost an estimated 16,000 jobs in February. Over the past year, the total jobs lost in the state adds to up about 141,000 (272,000 over…
Media
Read More: Which Sectors are Adding Jobs in Pennsylvania?Regulation
Still Not Easy Being Green for PA Taxpayers
In 2005, CF advised against passing Gov. Rendell’s Growing Greener II initiative because far better alternatives than increasing Pennsylvania’s debt load could have been used to save farmlands and…
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Read More: Still Not Easy Being Green for PA Taxpayers