Prosperity
New Year, New Taxes in Pennsylvania
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania The new year is always a great opportunity to shed vices like smoking and binge eating. For state and local lawmakers, their guilty pleasure tends…
Read More: New Year, New Taxes in PennsylvaniaHigh 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.
Taxes & Economy
Retirement Assets Increase to $160,000 Per Household
Mark Perry on the Carpe Diem blog offers some highlights of a new report on investment and retirement savings in the US. The growth of participation in mutual…
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How many pay no taxes?
The Tax Foundation analysis of IRS data finds that nearly one-third of those filing tax returns in 2005 paid no income tax. The return info itself in interesting –…
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REAL ID in PA update
Miss Behavin writes about Pennsylvania lawmakers efforts to respond to REAL ID, and specifically on the latest hearing. More info on the REAL ID backlash here.
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Fixing Health Care in the States
The Wall Street Journal has two articles about health insurance reform in other states. First, from Florida, where the state has enacted a law that will allow low-cost, mandate…
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Taxing Porn Back in Vogue
For the 2nd time in a year a Pennsylvania lawmaker has proposed taxing strip clubs, this time it is Rep. Paul Clymer. (HT Grassroots PA) The Tax Foundation…
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Tax Lessons from Michigan
Michigan’s recent experience in tax policy, summed up in today’s Wall Street Journal, should offer a lesson to other states. After raising taxes to fill in a budget shortfall,…
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Republicans Are in Denial
Tom Coburn in the Wall Street Journal writes on how “Compassionate Conservativsm” destroyed the Republican Party, and how the GOP’s problem isn’t “messaging”, its following through on principles. His…
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Federal Taxes and Household Income
The Congressional Budget Office has a new data page which shows the distribution of federal income taxes. Hat Tip to Government Bytes.
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Gas Taxes By State
Mark J. Perry posted this map showing gas taxes by state. Note Pennsylvania is a red state on this map. The data source is API…
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Economic “stimulus” to deliver?
Bloomberg.com reports most economists think the “job creation” from the economic stimulus package are greatly overstated – if there will be any at all. Oh, now you tell us.
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How much of your workday goes to pay taxes?
The Tax Foundation has put their Tax Freedom Day calculations into an eight-hour workday: How Long America Works to Pay Taxes in…
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Conservative Movement, RIP … or Not
Dan Flynn writes that the “Conservative Movement” is dead: Eurocommunism is gone and party conservatives now openly question the utility of even limited government rhetoric in 21st-century America.
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Scarnati’s Transportation Plan
Senate Pro Tem Joe Scarnati has announced his own transportation funding plan – which he promised to do in January, including a “hybrid” Turnpike lease plan (he backtracked…
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Cappy & Castille Confuse Courage & Cowardice
Tim Potts of Democracy Rising PA offers a commentary on the League of Women Voters lawsuit against former justice Ralph Cappy and Chief Justice Castille’s threats against…
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The New Big Dig
Wall Street Journal on the pitfalls of RomneyCare.
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Money discriminates against blind people
A federal court ruled that paper money discriminates against blind people, since they can’t tell how much the money is worth. Note to Paulistas: This is because the blind…
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Freedom from Government Day
The American Institute for Economic Research has calculated that today, May 19, is the date at which Americans have earned enough income to pay for all governing spending. They…
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Pa. lawmakers fill up at your expense
Philadelphia Inquirer article covers the price of lawmakers buying gas at taxpayer expense. There is also a list of who drives taxpayer subsidized, non-hybrid SUVs (i.e. gas guzzlers).
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Politicians and Economics
While a number of people say that many economic policy issues are “too complex” for the general public Thomas Sowell argues that for the most part these concepts –…
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Who Gets Federal Energy Subsidies?
The Wall Street Journal has an article on who gets federal energy subsidies, based on a EIA report. The WSJ focuses most of the attention on electricity subsidies;…
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The Wall Street Bailout Enhancement Act
The Heritage Foundation’s Foundry blog summarizes the flaws of the federal mortgage bailout bill. The CNNMoney article linked to also provides a good synopsis of what the bill…
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