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State Budget

What’s in the Latest House Revenue Plan

• October 18, 2017

The state House approved another revenue plan late last night, potentially signaling an end to the 2017-18 budget negotiations. The bill, HB 542, would allow the commonwealth to…

Media

Regulation

How Should Pennsylvania Attract Amazon?

• Nathan Benefield
• October 17, 2017

Amazon has been dominating Pennsylvania business news since announcing its interest in creating a second U.S. headquarters (HQ2). Several regions of the state are expected to contend for this new…

Media

Work Requirements Promote Independence, Wolf Should Embrace Them

• October 12, 2017

Work requirements are helping thousands of Americans rise above poverty and gain independence from government programs. In fact, when states like Kansas and Maine implemented work requirements for food stamps,…

Press Release

Government Accountability

Union Advantages Yield Undue Influence

• October 11, 2017

In today’s political landscape big money is usually associated with corporations and industries like oil or gas, however, government unions are the most advantaged special interest in Pennsylvania. CF’s Nathan…

Media

Education

Gov. Wolf Reverses Unlawful Moves

• Jessica Barnett
• October 11, 2017

Admist the budget stalemate, there is some welcome news out of Harrisburg. Within a single week, thousands of home care workers, educators, and taxpayers were relieved from the governor’s punitive…

Media

State Budget

Fact Check: Did the budget deal include an agreement to raise taxes?

• Nathan Benefield
• October 10, 2017

Gov. Wolf has angrily accused the House of refusing to pass a tax increase, implying it was agreed to when the spending plan passed on June 30. But a check…

Media

Health Care

Wolf’s Wrongheaded Veto Threat

• Elizabeth Stelle
• October 9, 2017

Governor Wolf intends to veto Pennsylvania’s welfare code (HB 59) due to a reform contained within the bill—even though the reform can reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth. The modest reform instructs the…

Media

Education

What to Make of the PSSA Results

• Colleen Hroncich
• October 6, 2017

Newly released Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) scores show little to no change in academic achievement across the commonwealth. What do these scores mean? The PSSAs posted on…

Media

Regulation

Tapping Indebted PLCB to Pay Down Debt a Risky Bet

• October 5, 2017

In a press conference yesterday, Gov. Wolf announced a plan to borrow from future PLCB “profits” to pay off last year’s budget deficit. Under the governor’s proposal, the state’s…

Press Release

Regulation

Gov. Wolf Proposes Using Debt-Ridden Agency to Pay Down Debt

• October 5, 2017

In a press conference yesterday, Gov. Wolf announced a plan to borrow from future PLCB “profits” to pay off last year’s budget deficit. Under the governor’s plan, the state’s…

Media

Education

Wolf Administration’s Disregard for the Law is Hurting Pennsylvanians

• October 5, 2017

Gov. Wolf's refusal to release approval letters for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs is causing needless pain for families, students, schools, and…

Media

Regulation

An Inhospitable Tax Increase

• Elizabeth Stelle
• October 4, 2017

Another day, another tax. The newest plan to fill a $2.2 billion budget hole includes a 5 percent increase to the hotel tax, along with a new tax on fireworks and third-party online…

Media

Regulation

Devil in the Details of PLCB Finances

• October 3, 2017

It was another banner year for the government liquor monopoly—or so the PLCB claims. The agency recently released its finances, touting all-time high sales and a record $720.6 million…

Media

State Budget

Four Alternatives to the Warehouse Tax

• Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
• October 3, 2017

The latest tax proposal to balance the $2.2 billion budget shortfall is receiving a cool reception. The tax hike under consideration would extend the sales tax to commercial warehouses. The…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Good News for Forced Union Fee Payers

• Jessica Barnett
• September 29, 2017

For public employees forced to subsidize union politics—or lose their jobs—a U.S. Supreme Court announcement yesterday signals a potential end to this workplace coercion.   The Court indicated it will…

Media

Education

Gov. Wolf’s Indefensible Decisions Continue to Hurt Students

• September 28, 2017

Pennsylvania’s successful scholarship programs—the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC)—are in danger once again. The Wolf Administration has delayed the programs’ approval letters, which…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Three Reasons a Severance Tax Is a Bad Idea

• Elizabeth Stelle
• September 25, 2017

The hunt for money to satisfy Harrisburg's overspending problem is in full gear. Lawmakers and special interests want to impose an additional tax on gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale, the…

Media

Regulation

PLCB Strikes Again!

• September 22, 2017

As lawmakers continue to debate balancing the state budget, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) gave Pennsylvanians yet another reason to privatize the antiquated liquor system. The agency unleashed…

Media

State Budget

“Recurring Revenues” Lead to Recurring Pain

• Elizabeth Stelle
• September 21, 2017

The House’s preferred approach to close the state’s $2.2 billion deficit recently came under fire for its reliance on one-time revenue sources rather than recurring revenues, i.e., tax increases. But this…

Media

Regulation

The Solution to Pa.’s Credit Downgrade

• Jessica Barnett
• September 20, 2017

Pennsylvania’s irresponsible spending increases have taken their toll – and credit rating agencies have taken notice. Following a credit downgrade from Standard & Poor’s Wednesday morning, Pennsylvania’s…

Media

Regulation

We’ll Take Taxpayers’ $17 Million Subsidy & Move to China, Suckers

• Nathan Benefield
• September 20, 2017

The Tribune Review reports that another Pennsylvania company is moving to China. A company that built saltwater-based battery systems at the former Sony Corp. plant near New Stanton will move to…

Media