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.
Regulation
NFIB Study Finds PA Minimum Wage Bills Kill Jobs
Thanks to a recent minimum wage increase, 61 percent of New Jersey businesses are likely to raise their prices. In addition, a Congressional Budget Office analysis found increasing…
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Minimum Wage, Minimum Opportunity
In 2007, the Philadelphia Youth Network needed to cut 1,100 jobs for inner-city teens. Why? Because they couldn’t afford to place as many teens in jobs under the higher minimum…
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A Risk Too Great: Bonds Alone Could Worsen Pension Crisis
Is your family ready to bend their budget to pay for Pennsylvania’s pension crisis? State pension costs are set to drive up the average family’s taxes by nearly $900 annually,…
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End Special Subsidies to Lower Taxes for All
Taxpayers have spent millions on four different occasions to subsidize the infamous “Sony site” in Westmoreland County. In the 1970’s Volkswagen got $70 million in state aid under Gov.
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A Look at Job Growth in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s economy is beginning to recover from the 2007 recession, according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since 2010, Pennsylvania has added 86,400 jobs, ranking…
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Gov. Rendell Left Pennsylvania a Big Deficit
Recent headlines have former Gov. Ed Rendell challenging Gov. Tom Corbett on the issue of the deficit he left the current administration. Gov. Corbett has campaign ads stating he closed…
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Liberal Group Screams “Murder” over Medicaid Expansion
This week, John Micek called out Keystone Progress on his Pennlive.com blog for what he termed a “disgusting” email that “has no place in our discourse.” What provoked this…
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Read More: Liberal Group Screams “Murder” over Medicaid ExpansionTaxes & Economy
Warning to PA: Alternative Energy Subsidies Damage Europe
State legislators who advocate for an expansion of government incentives for alternative energy sources need to pay attention to the events happening across the pond where the European Commission is…
Media
Read More: Warning to PA: Alternative Energy Subsidies Damage EuropeState Budget
Pennsylvanians Are Losing Economic Freedom
Pennsylvanians are losing economic freedom according to the Fraser Institute’s annual report, Economic Freedom of North America 2013. The commonwealth is slowly losing ground ranking 33rd in 2009 and…
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5 Facts About the State Budget Proposal
The 2014-15 Pennsylvania State Budget proposal is more than 1000 pages, but we’ve boiled it down to five facts taxpayers you need to know 1. State Spending is at an All-Time…
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State Budget Déjà Vu
Ceremonies in Punxsutawney have come and gone, but every year Groundhog Day reminds me of the film of the same name—in which Bill Murray lives the same day over and over…
Commentary
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Governor’s Budget Right on Priorities
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact:717-671-1901 Governor's Budget Right on Priorities February 4, 2014, HARRISBURG, Pa—In response to Governor Corbett’s budget address this afternoon, Matthew J. Brouillette,…
Press Release
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Blueprint for a Prosperous Pennsylvania
Over the past six fiscal years, the commonwealth has spent more than it has taken in. This fiscal gap is projected to widen as expenditures are on pace to grow…
Report
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Obamacare Sticker Shock for Pittsburgh Workers
The reality of Obamacare hit home for the employees of Simonetta’s Collision Repair Center in McKeesport. WTAE news captured the reaction of six employees who were told their copays,…
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Win for Transparency in Public School Spending
How would you like to know what’s in a teachers’ contract before your school district passes it—and locks in spending—for four years? And how would you like to track how…
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Pennsylvania’s Fiscal Condition is Critical
Pennsylvania ranks 42nd in overall fiscal condition, according to a report by Sarah Arnett of the Mercatus Center. The report, State Fiscal Condition: Ranking the 50 States, analyzes states’ abilities…
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How Government Unions Support Obamacare
Government unions such as the NEA and SEIU lobbied for passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will raise the cost of health care through various mandates…
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The True Cost of Minimum Wage
If a higher minimum wage benefits workers, why not push it to $20 or $30 or even higher? Because experience shows minimum wage increases actually hurt the very workers they…
Commentary
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Budget Burdens Bring Consequences
Know that feeling a month after Christmas when the credit card statement shows you blew your holiday budget? Imagine the pain you’d experience after six consecutive years of spending beyond…
Commentary
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EPA Regulations Threaten Pennsylvania Jobs
The prospects for Pennsylvania coal industry have gotten so bad that Tom Crooks has contemplated moving his company from the state to find greener pastures Crooks is vice…
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2014: A Year for Pension Reform
Pension reform promises to be on the forefront of the legislative agenda in the new year, and for good reason. PSERS and SERS, the state’s two pension systems for…
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