Media

Commonwealth Foundation Launches Bi-Weekly Podcast

• August 10, 2016

Commonwealth Foundation Launches Bi-Weekly Podcast 'Commonwealth Insight’ to Feature Entrepreneurs, Policy Makers, & Thought Leaders August 10, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—The Commonwealth Foundation today launched Commonwealth Insight, a bi-weekly podcast…

Press Release

State Budget

Pushback Against Devastating E-Cig Tax Continues

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 9, 2016

Backlash over the punitive 40 percent wholesale e-cigarette tax continues. Yesterday, CF Director of Policy Analysis Elizabeth Stelle discussed its devastating impacts with WILK-FM's L.A. Tarone. Stelle explained how this…

Media

Regulation

How Tax Hikes Ruined Scottie’s Dream

• August 8, 2016

Scottie Freeman wants to serve his community. He opened a vapor shop in a depressed part of Erie and planned to use the shop’s proceeds to open up an ice…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Punitive e-Cigarette Tax Could Ax 300 Shops, 1,500 Jobs

• August 8, 2016

Punitive e-Cigarette Tax Could Ax 300 shops, 1,500 Jobs Bill Would Reverse 40-Percent Retroactive Tax Poised to Crush Pa. Small Businesses August 8, 2016, Harrisburg, Pa.—Chris Hughes…

Press Release

State Budget

5 Reasons To Fear Bigger Tax Hikes in 2017

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 4, 2016

The 2016-17 budget has passed, yet it remains unbalanced, relying on borrowing money and yet-to-be-passed legislation. Many revenue estimates are overly optimistic. Without efforts to reduce spending or reform cost drivers like pensions…

Media

Education

Education Choice Benefits All

• Nathan Benefield
• August 3, 2016

Private school choice programs benefit students, public schools, and taxpayers, according to new report from EdChoice. The report, the fourth edition of A Win-Win Solution: The Empirical Evidence on…

Media

Regulation

Government Favoritism Hurts Honest Businesses

• August 2, 2016

Buried in a little debated 267-page tax code bill is a provision emblematic of Pennsylvania’s corporate welfare culture. The provision directs hotel tax revenue generated inside a Neighborhood…

Media

Regulation

Overtaxing Can Change Lives for the Worse

• August 2, 2016

Government’s heavy hand can cause immense harm. Dori Odosso (pictured) and Chris Hughes know this all too well. Both small business owners are concerned about a crushing new tax…

Media

State Budget

Games? eBooks? Music? There’s a Tax for That

• August 1, 2016

Games? eBooks? Music? There’s a Tax for That Digital Downloads Tax Takes Effect Today August 1, 2016, Harrisburg, Pa.—Pennsylvanians who didn’t stock up on iTunes, eBooks, and game apps…

Press Release

Regulation

Why Dori is Fighting Back Against Government Overreach

• July 29, 2016

On Wednesday, we shared with you Chris’s fight to save his small business from a devastating tax increase. Regrettably, Chris’s business isn’t the only one threatened by the new…

Media

State Budget

Taxes Threaten Chris’s Livelihood

• July 27, 2016

Chris Hughes has owned Fat Cat Vapor Shop for almost three years. The shop—tucked away in a small Lycoming County borough—specializes in electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), which many people seek as…

Media

Regulation

Pennsylvania’s Prime Subsidies to Amazon

• James Paul
• July 26, 2016

Corporate welfare projects and celebratory press releases go together like peanut butter and jelly. For the most recent example in Pennsylvania, see the latest from the governor’s communications office:…

Media

Education

Saving for a Rainy Day — But Whose Money?

• James Paul
• July 25, 2016

Let’s talk for a moment about rainy days—specifically, the need to save funds to spend on one. Several school board administrators and lobbyists have taken issue with CF’s searchable,…

Media

Regulation

The Pension Crisis Will Trigger Another Tax Hike

• Elizabeth Stelle
• July 25, 2016

The 2016-17 budget is in the books with a $650 million tax increase. That's a significant increase…

Media

Public Union Democracy

DNC in Philly: Top 5 Ways Big-Government Policies Are Killing the Host City

• July 22, 2016

DNC in Philly: Top 5 Ways Big-Government Policies Are Killing the Host City Philadelphians Suffering, Fleeing Due to Policies that Hurt Economic Growth July 21, 2016, Philadelphia, Pa.—As all…

Press Release

State Budget

A Budget of Convenience

• July 19, 2016

The dust has settled on the 2016-17 budget debate—at least for the moment. Some people hail the agreement as an example of what Harrisburg can accomplish when two parties work together.

Media

State Budget

What’s in the Final 2016-17 Budget?

• Elizabeth Stelle
• July 15, 2016

On June 30, the legislature passed a $31.6 billion General Fund Budget. Gov. Wolf allowed this budget to become law without his signature on July 12. On July 13,…

Media

Government Accountability

Unlearned State Budget Lessons

• July 15, 2016

Charles Mitchell, newly appointed President and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, appeared last week on PMA Perspective to discuss this year’s state budget process and the “unlearned lessons” of last…

Media

State Budget

Budget: Still Irresponsible, Still Unbalanced

• July 14, 2016

Budget: Still Irresponsible, Still Unbalanced Despite Fanfare, Budget Remains $300 Million in the Red July 14, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Yesterday, Gov. Wolf and lawmakers approved a tax and revenue package…

Press Release

State Budget

How the $650 Million Tax Increase Impacts You

• Elizabeth Stelle
• July 14, 2016

The state budget is, for all intents and purposes, complete. While it remains unbalanced, we now know exactly which taxes are going up.  The $650 million tax hike passed by the…

Media

State Budget

Legislature Sends $600 Million Tax Increase to Gov. Wolf

• July 13, 2016

Legislature Sends $600 Million Tax Increase to Gov. Wolf Pennsylvanians to Pay More for Cigarettes, eBooks, Apps, Streaming Video July 13, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Hoping to balance the unconstitutional, unbalanced…

Press Release