Taxes & Economy

PA Property Tax Administration 2nd Worst in Nation

  • June 9, 2011

This past May, the commonwealth tied for second worse in the nation in state property tax administration, according to the Council On State Taxation (COST). States were evaluated in…

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Education

Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying at Pitt

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 8, 2011

A reader shared the letter below from the University of Pittsburgh. It urges all parents and students to contact their state legislators and protest higher education cuts in the proposed…

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Education

Pennsylvania Education Spending Update

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 6, 2011

Since our budget facts on Pennsylvania Education Spending, the PA Department of Education (PDE) has released updated data on school spending and revenue, through the 2009-10 school year.

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Taxes & Economy

Marcellus Hiring Spree Continues

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 6, 2011

The Center for Workforce Information and Analysis (the research arm of the Department of Labor and Industry) released their April Marcellus Shale Fast Facts, demonstrating tremendous growth in Marcellus…

Media

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PLCB Perestroika Program Pulled!

  • June 3, 2011

Consumers rejoice! Supermarket superman Wegmans Food Market, has declared dosvedanya to the PLCB’s pitiful perestroika program and killed the catastrophic kiosk program. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which…

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Regulation

The Phony “Surplus”

  • Nathan Benefield, Richard Dreyfuss
  • June 2, 2011

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue released May General Fund tax collection data, and many lawmakers are clamoring to spend this “surplus”. But the idea there is any “surplus” is…

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Union Red Herring Erring

  • June 2, 2011

The recent Pennsylvania AFL-CIO media campaign to malign Rep. Scott Perry by saying he wants to “punish workers” is as off base as it is disingenuous. The union, for…

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Regulation

Have Casinos Hurt Lottery Sales?

  • June 1, 2011

According to a new report from the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, the presence of casinos does not have a negative impact on state lottery revenues.  At the same…

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Education

Make the Case to Voters

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 1, 2011

My letter to the editor in today’s Post-Gazette on school tax referendum. The article “Groups Fighting…

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Taxes & Economy

WITF Marcellus Forum Viewers Guide

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 31, 2011

Tonight at 8 p.m., WITF TV will air an hour-long “Marcellus Shale Forum”. While the discussion should be informative for most viewers wanting to learn about the Marcellus Shale…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

What’s the Difference Between a Tax and a Fee?

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • May 31, 2011

The latest media narrative this week seems to be that Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist is controlling Pennsylvania lawmakers, by stating that a proposed “impact fee” is a…

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Education

Violence Rips Worst Pa. Schools!

  • May 31, 2011

In the 2009 school year, Pennsylvania’s bottom five percent of failing public schools had an alarming amount of violent incidents totaling more than 5,400. Not only are these 100,000 students trapped in failing schools, but…

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Education

Questions for Appropriators on Higher Education

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 27, 2011

Since Gov. Corbett presented a budget which reduced state taxpayer funding for institutions including Penn State, Temple, Pitt, and the State System of Higher Education, college administrators, faculty and lobbyists…

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Education

Oh Yeah, Those Guys

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 26, 2011

My letter to the Philadelphia Daily News: Will Bunch’s recent article identifies wealthy Americans who are voluntary donating their money to push greater school choice.  Bunch fails…

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