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
Meaningful Welfare Reform Included in State Budget
State lawmakers are scrambling to create a revenue plan that can balance the $32 billion dollar spending plan passed by the legislature last week. While talks of tax hikes, borrowing…
Media
Read More: Meaningful Welfare Reform Included in State BudgetRegulation
News Release: End Horse Racing’s $2.7 Billion Taxpayer-Funded Windfall
State government spends $800 million on taxpayer-funding giveaways to politically connected businesses each year. As lawmakers and Gov. Wolf debate ways to pay for the $32 billion spending plan passed…
Press Release
Read More: News Release: End Horse Racing’s $2.7 Billion Taxpayer-Funded WindfallRegulation
Policy Memo: Ideas to Balance the 2017-18 Budget
With a spending plan in place, lawmakers should focus their efforts on reinventing state government to balance the budget, including ending horse racing subsidies.
Memo
Read More: Policy Memo: Ideas to Balance the 2017-18 BudgetState Budget
Lawmakers’ Choices: Higher Taxes or Real Reform
Half the state budget is done: the spending list. The Pennsylvania House and Senate passed a general appropriations bill on Friday. But the other half—how to pay for it—remains. The…
Media
Read More: Lawmakers’ Choices: Higher Taxes or Real ReformCriminal Justice Reform
How to Revamp Pa.’s Criminal Justice System
Pennsylvania can reduce its prison population by more than 1,000 people while saving approximately $108 million over five years, according to a Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) Working Group Report.
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Read More: How to Revamp Pa.’s Criminal Justice SystemPublic Union Democracy
Balancing Pennsylvania’s Budget: Tax or Reform?
Government unions are rallying in Harrisburg, demanding more money from Pennsylvanians to justify an even larger state budget. It’s worth asking, how did we get here again? And what…
Media
Read More: Balancing Pennsylvania’s Budget: Tax or Reform?Regulation
What to Know about the Senate Budget
Late last night, the Senate unveiled its version of the spending side of a state budget. The Senate advanced the bill from the Appropriations Committee with a full floor vote…
Media
Read More: What to Know about the Senate BudgetRegulation
Op-Ed: Learn from Last Year’s Budget Mistakes
Before you dismiss the budget debate as political theater, consider this: The deals hashed out in Harrisburg could blow a hole in your own budget or even strip you of…
Commentary
Read More: Op-Ed: Learn from Last Year’s Budget MistakesState Budget
Lawmakers’ Choice: Bogus Budget Borrowing or Serious Solutions
The start of the new fiscal year is less than two days away, but lawmakers have yet to nail down the specifics for the 2017-18 budget. Higher taxes and new borrowing…
Media
Read More: Lawmakers’ Choice: Bogus Budget Borrowing or Serious SolutionsState Budget
PA Budget: What the Constitution Mandates
As lawmakers debate the details of a new state budget, it’s crucial to remember what our state constitution requires them to do. The Pennsylvania Constitution does not require a…
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Read More: PA Budget: What the Constitution MandatesState Budget
Focusing on What Matters in the Tax Credit Debate
Pennsylvania provides tax credits for film production, concerts and video games. House Bill 1519 would combine these credits into one Multimedia Tax Credit Fund. But consolidating tax credits doesn't address…
Media
Read More: Focusing on What Matters in the Tax Credit DebateHealth Care
Welfare Reform Efforts Gain Traction
Tax hikes or spending reforms? That's the question before lawmakers as the annual scramble to the June 30th budget deadline proceeds. So it's no surprise lawmakers are turning their attention…
Media
Read More: Welfare Reform Efforts Gain TractionRegulation
News Release: Three Steps to Close State’s Budget Shortfall Without Tax Hikes
With a $1.4 billion projected budget shortfall for 2016-17 and just days to solve it, Pennsylvanians want solutions that won’t take even more money from their pockets. Fortunately, lawmakers and…
Press Release
Read More: News Release: Three Steps to Close State’s Budget Shortfall Without Tax HikesRegulation
Is a Budget Deja Vu in Pennsylvania’s Future?
The General Assembly is floating a plan to balance the state budget with higher taxes and more borrowing, according to Charles Thompson of PennLive. Sound familiar? Lawmakers adopted…
Media
Read More: Is a Budget Deja Vu in Pennsylvania’s Future?Health Care
What the Senate ACA Repeal Plan Means for PA
A draft of the U.S. Senate GOP plan to repeal and replace Obamacare is out in the open. Overall, the bill is a step in right direction. The plan fundamentally…
Media
Read More: What the Senate ACA Repeal Plan Means for PARegulation
Growing PA’s Economy through Relief, not Mandates
Pennsylvania ranks among the worst states in terms of job growth (46th) and personal income growth (45th). Our unemployment rate remains well above the national average and our economy grew…
Media
Read More: Growing PA’s Economy through Relief, not MandatesEducation
Audio: “Rainy Day” Funds Raining on Taxpayers
School districts across Pennsylvania have stashed away millions of surplus funds for a “rainy day,” yet some continue to request higher taxes at the same time. Of course, for…
Media
Read More: Audio: “Rainy Day” Funds Raining on TaxpayersTaxes & Economy
Policy Memo: The History of Tom Wolf’s Proposed Tax Hikes
Since assuming office, Gov. Tom Wolf has persistently advocated higher taxes on working Pennsylvania families. Here's a brief history of Wolf's efforts to raise taxes. …
Memo
Read More: Policy Memo: The History of Tom Wolf’s Proposed Tax HikesEducation
Will Philly Union Contract Require State Bailout?
Philadelphia’s new teacher contract could be so expensive as to require teacher layoffs to pay for it. But there’s another way the $395 million pact could be financed: with…
Media
Read More: Will Philly Union Contract Require State Bailout?State Budget
Stop Calling for Higher Taxes
In comments at the Pennsylvania Press Club yesterday, Sen. Jay Costa addressed the state deficit and called for tax increases. Costa said, “A year from now, someone will be standing…
Media
Read More: Stop Calling for Higher TaxesState Budget
The Solution to Pa.’s Perpetual Deficit Problems
Pennsylvania is rapidly approaching the June 30 budget deadline. Over the next two weeks, lawmakers will decide how to balance the 2017-18 budget. But they’ll also need to settle old…
Media
Read More: The Solution to Pa.’s Perpetual Deficit Problems