Pennsylvanians Need Permission to Work

November 30, 2017

Great news! Pennsylvania has the least burdensome licensing laws in the nation. The bad news? Pennsylvania frequently licensees occupations that are not licensed by other states. Want to be a…

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Government Accountability

A Step Towards Smarter Spending

November 29, 2017

The governor and state lawmakers are taking a step towards tackling our spending problem. On Tuesday a bicameral group of state lawmakers introduced a zero-based budgeting bill. This proposal would…

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State Budget

Promising Budget Reforms on the Horizon

November 29, 2017

Pennsylvania’s latest budget impasse exposed a dysfunctional state budget process. Several members of the House of Representatives have introduced a package of reforms to correct the myriad of problems contributing to…

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State Budget

PA’s Fiscal Predicament in 5 Charts

November 28, 2017

Pennsylvania is in poor financial shape and staring down a consequential demographic shift. Check out the 5 charts below for more on the challenges facing our state and the…

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Public Union Democracy

Political Privileges Create an Unfair and Unequal Society

November 27, 2017

In Pennsylvania, government unions enjoy a wealth of legal and political privileges not awarded to other organizations. Here are just a few: Government unions negotiate collective bargaining agreements with the…

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Guest Blog: The Hidden Cost of Tax Complexity

November 17, 2017

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series of occasional blogs by a Philadelphia resident highlighting policy problems holding back the City of Brotherly Love. As a Philadelphia…

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State Budget

New Budget Report Demands Urgent Action

November 16, 2017

By 2023, the state deficit could reach more than $2 billion. By 2030, Pennsylvania will have just 2.4 workers for every 1 person of retirement age. These were some of the most…

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PA’s Poor Budget Report Card

November 15, 2017

Pennsylvania’s 2017 budget is finally complete, but Pennsylvania’s fiscal house is in disarray. The Volcker Alliance, an organization which seeks to “improve the administration of government at all levels,” recently…

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State Budget

Pennsylvania’s Sin Tax Addiction

November 14, 2017

Pennsylvania’s excess of excise—or so-called “sin”—taxes was the subject of a recent story in The Philadelphia Inquirer. The piece focused on the amount working people pay in taxes on…

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