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.
Regulation
Unintended Consequences of the Bulb Ban
The national phase-out of incandescent light bulbs begins in 2012, and by 2014, incandescents will be history. The popular replacement is the compact-fluorescent light (CFL), but there are very…
Media
Read More: Unintended Consequences of the Bulb BanTaxes & Economy
Lawmakers Should Read ALL Commonwealth Foundation Research
In a recent op-ed, Sen. Scarnati and Sen. Pileggi defended the Senate’s recent actions after a Lincoln Institute column described them as “leftist”. While the Senators cite CF’s research…
Media
Read More: Lawmakers Should Read ALL Commonwealth Foundation ResearchTaxes & Economy
Spending Revolt Tour: Day 1 Update
Day one of the Pennsylvania leg of the National Spending Revolt bus tour kicked off this morning in Erie. The weather, appropriately enough, is gloomy and gray—rather fitting, given…
Media
Read More: Spending Revolt Tour: Day 1 UpdateRegulation
Senate Must Insist on Real Pension Reform
The state pension time bomb is taking front stage again in the waning days of the 2009-2010 legislative session. The Senate is revisiting HB 2497—the $27 billion pension deferral…
Media
Read More: Senate Must Insist on Real Pension ReformHealth Care
ObamaCare will Dramatically Increase Medicaid Costs in PA
A reader asked us what kind of effect ObamaCare would have on Medicaid costs in Pennsylvania. We’ve put together some numbers, and it’s not pretty. First of all, even without…
Media
Read More: ObamaCare will Dramatically Increase Medicaid Costs in PATaxes & Economy
Immigration Verification and Welfare Fraud
Thank you for allowing the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives, a non-partisan educational institute based in Harrisburg, to submit written testimony concerning HB 1359, which would require proof of…
Testimony
Read More: Immigration Verification and Welfare FraudTaxes & Economy
Cabot Squares Off with DEP
The pressure is building in Dimock, Pennsylvania, where the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and drilling company Cabot Oil and Gas are squaring off over a proposal to…
Media
Read More: Cabot Squares Off with DEPTaxes & Economy
Severance Tax at Odds with State Constitution
Earlier this week, Nate Benefield blogged on the unconstitutional process of the House-passed natural gas severance tax bill (SB 1155). This bill did not originate in the House,…
Media
Read More: Severance Tax at Odds with State ConstitutionTaxes & Economy
Governor Rendell Earns a D on Fiscal Policy
Cato’s 2010 Fiscal Report Card on America’s Governors is out. Not surprisingly, Pennsylvania ranks low. With a score of 40 points, Gov. Ed Rendell earns a D for his…
Media
Read More: Governor Rendell Earns a D on Fiscal PolicyGovernment Accountability
Severance Tax Legislation: The Process Stinks Too
The Pennsylvania House amended legislation to impose a severance tax on natural gas last night, and will likely vote on the bill tonight. We wrote yesterday about the merits…
Media
Read More: Severance Tax Legislation: The Process Stinks TooGovernment Accountability
Grassroots Activists Battle Special Interest Agenda
Earlier this year, we blogged on HB 2246, which would have allowed trial lawyers in auto cases to suggest the amount of compensation their plaintiffs should receive for their…
Media
Read More: Grassroots Activists Battle Special Interest AgendaTaxes & Economy
Fact Check: Severance Tax Proposal Would be Highest in US
SB 1155 would impose a severance tax rate of 39 cents per MCF. At the August estimated average wellhead price of $4.22 per MCF, this is an effective…
Media
Read More: Fact Check: Severance Tax Proposal Would be Highest in USTaxes & Economy
Democrats Natural Gas Jobs Tax is Off the Charts
Just how high is the PA House Democrat’s proposed natural gas jobs tax? It would represent the highest tax in the…
Media
Read More: Democrats Natural Gas Jobs Tax is Off the ChartsTaxes & Economy
Shale Gas is Revitalizing Communities
Cliff Wehrmen has a new pickup truck, thanks to the booming economy in Williston, North Dakota. In North Dakota, companies are fighting over workers via bidding wars, state unemployment…
Media
Read More: Shale Gas is Revitalizing CommunitiesState Budget
Where to Find Ideas to Balance the PA Budget
John Micek of the Morning Call has a piece today noting that the two candidates for Governor — Dan Onorato and Tom Corbett — have promised no, or few, new…
Media
Read More: Where to Find Ideas to Balance the PA BudgetTaxes & Economy
Why Do We Need a Severance Tax?
Proponents of a natural gas severance tax have been offering several arguments supporting a tax, here are the three main talking points used by tax advocates: 1) Higher taxes will…
Media
Read More: Why Do We Need a Severance Tax?Taxes & Economy
Video: Natural Gas and Pennsylvania’s Business Climate
Here is bonus footage from our upcoming video series, Know the Drill, about the natural gas boom in Pennsylvania. In this clip, Brian Grove, who works for Chesapeake Energy,…
Media
Read More: Video: Natural Gas and Pennsylvania’s Business ClimateTaxes & Economy
The Downside to Government Spending
While federal stimulus funding for turtle tunnels, ant colony research, iPod Touch devices for students, and Blackberry smart phones for smokers might stimulate a few Americans,…
Media
Read More: The Downside to Government SpendingHealth Care
PA Medicaid Enrollment Reaches All-Time High
One in six Pennsylvanians are now eligible for Medicaid or Medical Assistance, thanks to the economic downturn and generous eligibility standards. The Post-Gazette reports 2.2 million individuals now rely…
Media
Read More: PA Medicaid Enrollment Reaches All-Time HighTaxes & Economy
Video: Cost of Natural Gas Drilling in Pennsylvania
In this video, from a 2009 Commonwealth Foundation luncheon, State Senator Mary Jo White speaks about the costs of drilling in Pennsylvania compared to other similar states. To learn…
Media
Read More: Video: Cost of Natural Gas Drilling in PennsylvaniaHealth Care
Why Obama Can’t “Sell” the Health Care Law
The AP writes that President Obama blames himself for not “selling” the health care law — this despite giving dozens of speeches on the issue and spending millions…
Media
Read More: Why Obama Can’t “Sell” the Health Care Law