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.
Taxes & Economy
Wagner’s Warning on Turnpike Debt Not Exaggerated
Auditor General Jack Wagner claims the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is in a state of fiscal crisis following a 181 percent increase in long-term debt since 2007. This shouldn’t…
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Read More: Wagner’s Warning on Turnpike Debt Not ExaggeratedTaxes & Economy
Chart of the Day: Pennsylvania Transportation Spending
Many advocates and industry representatives have been calling for increasing transportation spending in Pennsylvania. Yet over the past 16 years, state transportation spending has increased by 127 percent, a fact…
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Read More: Chart of the Day: Pennsylvania Transportation SpendingState Budget
Pennsylvania Budget Freezes in Perspective
Yesterday, Gov. Corbett and the Office of the Budget released a list of 2011-12 budgetary freezes—reductions in spending from the enacted General Fund budget—due in part to revenue shortfalls. I…
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Read More: Pennsylvania Budget Freezes in PerspectiveTaxes & Economy
PA Online Sales Tax Guidelines Claim First Casualty
When the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue issued a new bulletin instructing online vendors about collecting state sales tax, tax reform advocates expressed a lot of concern. The new…
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Read More: PA Online Sales Tax Guidelines Claim First CasualtyTaxes & Economy
Calvin Coolidge, Tom Corbett, and Why Politics Isn’t Like Business
My wife is awesome. As proof, I submit to you the fact that she willingly parted with 35 bucks in order to give me The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge for…
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Read More: Calvin Coolidge, Tom Corbett, and Why Politics Isn’t Like BusinessTaxes & Economy
Tax-Exempt Government Property Adds to Harrisburg’s Woes
The city of Harrisburg is facing a fiscal crisis primarily brought on by over-spending, accruing too much debt, and getting into areas government has no business—from the incinerator to owning…
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Read More: Tax-Exempt Government Property Adds to Harrisburg’s WoesTaxes & Economy
Map: PA Among Highest Unemployment Tax Rates
The Tax Foundation has a new map showing unemployment insurance tax rates. As you can see, Pennsylvania has one of the highest tax rates in the nation. The unemployment…
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Read More: Map: PA Among Highest Unemployment Tax RatesTaxes & Economy
PennFuture’s Political Games
Enviro-profiteers PennFuture (an environmental activist group) misused tens of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars, and what was the President and CEO Jan Jarrett’s response? “My bad.” Jarrett admitted…
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Read More: PennFuture’s Political GamesTaxes & Economy
Marcellus Drilling Rescues Williamsport
Earlier this month, I visited Williamsport, home of the Little League World Series and a growing economy. Clearly it’s not just baseball that brightens this central Pa. city…
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Read More: Marcellus Drilling Rescues WilliamsportHealth Care
No Rush on Health Insurance Exchanges
In late November the Department of Insurance announced that Pennsylvania would begin implementing a state health insurance exchange as laid out in PPACA (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care…
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Read More: No Rush on Health Insurance ExchangesTaxes & Economy
Drilling Regulations in Pennsylvania vs. Neighbors
Marcellus Shale opponents often mislead the public with claims such as the industry doesn’t pay taxes (debunked here), the economic benefits are overstated (read here,…
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Read More: Drilling Regulations in Pennsylvania vs. NeighborsGovernment Accountability
More on Hellholes, of the Judicial Sort
The yearly Judicial Hellhole report from the American Tort Reform Foundation ranks Philadelphia as the number one judicial hellhole for the second year in a row. Pennsylvania’s court…
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Read More: More on Hellholes, of the Judicial SortTaxes & Economy
New Study Show Impact of Shale Gas
Hot on the heels of UGI Utilities’ 13 percent reduction in gas rates, comes a comprehensive study examining the impact of shale gas on the economy nationwide. The report…
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Read More: New Study Show Impact of Shale GasHealth Care
How Much Will Obamacare Cost You?
The federal health care overhaul will be paid for with spending cuts and an estimated $420 billion in new taxes. How much of that $420 billion will come out of your pocket?…
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Marcellus Shale Drilling Equals Affordable Energy
As the Intelligencer Journal reports, Marcellus Shale drilling is the reason UGI Utilities is dropping natural gas rates by 13.5 percent, providing significant savings for the 15 counties…
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Read More: Marcellus Shale Drilling Equals Affordable EnergyTaxes & Economy
Chart of the Day: Shale Growth Fuels Tax Growth
We noted previously how the boom from Marcellus Shale natural gas has fueled a dramatic increase in state corporate tax collections. Pennsylvania Department of Revenue data also show a…
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Read More: Chart of the Day: Shale Growth Fuels Tax GrowthTaxes & Economy
Lt. Gov. Cawley & Marcellus Shale on The BOX
Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley is the latest guest on The BOX Podcast hosted by Matt Brouillette. They discuss Marcellus Shale misconceptions, Gov. Corbett’s impact fee, and the vast potential for…
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Read More: Lt. Gov. Cawley & Marcellus Shale on The BOXRegulation
Green Fiascoes and Boondoggles
Economist Mark Hendrickson, a member of CF’s Council of Scholars, looks at the failure of government funded “green energy” projects in his latest column for the Center for Vision…
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Read More: Green Fiascoes and BoondogglesTaxes & Economy
Sky Darkens for Solar Mandates
HB 1580, which we wrote about previously, would accelerate state mandates for utilities to use solar power as part of their electricity portfolio. A new Energy Association of…
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Read More: Sky Darkens for Solar MandatesPublic Union Democracy
Right to Work Helps Oklahoma Economy
A new analysis from the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs shows that since the Sooner State passed a right to work law in 2001—allowing all workers to choose whether…
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Read More: Right to Work Helps Oklahoma EconomyEducation
The Lesson of Ohio Might Not Be What You Think
The Wall Street Journal recently featured a very short, very striking piece on the defeat of much-needed limits on the power of government unions in Ohio. The conventional wisdom on…
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