Taxes & Economy

Severance Tax Talk is Stunting Investment in Pa.

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 30, 2017

One tax is emblematic of Pennsylvania’s failure to grow the economy with more government spending: the natural gas severance tax. Special interest groups have worked for a decade to enact a…

Media

Read More: Severance Tax Talk is Stunting Investment in Pa.

Public Union Democracy

UFCW Fined for Misreporting Terrible Anti-Privatization TV Ads

  • Jessica Barnett
  • August 25, 2017

Pennsylvania’s Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has persistently generated corruption scandals as it manages the state-run liquor system. Now, the loudest advocate for retaining this inefficient and unpopular…

Media

Read More: UFCW Fined for Misreporting Terrible Anti-Privatization TV Ads

State Budget

Pennsylvania’s Small Towns Need Harrisburg to Think Big

  • August 25, 2017

The stories are all too familiar. In towns hollowed out by economic downturns, Pennsylvanians are struggling to get by. Many are wondering when, or if, things will get better. Small…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania’s Small Towns Need Harrisburg to Think Big

State Government Continues to Grow

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 25, 2017

As I pointed out last week, the total operating budget for Pennsylvania exceeds $80 billion. In addition to the $32 billion General Fund, the $49 billion “shadow budget” includes $28.7 billion…

Media

Read More: State Government Continues to Grow

Regulation

Reducing the State’s Cash Stockpile Can Help Balance the Budget

  • August 24, 2017

Lawmakers considering balancing the budget with borrowing and higher taxes could opt for a responsible alternative: drawing down funds from the shadow budget's “banking accounts.” But first, let’s take a…

Media

Read More: Reducing the State’s Cash Stockpile Can Help Balance the Budget

Health Care

Five Medicaid Work Requirement Truths

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 24, 2017

Work leaves families better off. To ignore this fact and urge people to trust a failing Medicaid system is nothing short of a moral scandal.

Fact Sheet

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Public Union Democracy

News Release: Majority of Union Employees Want Worker Voting Rights

  • August 23, 2017

Regular elections are foundational to representative democracy. Yet thousands of Pennsylvanians who work in the public sector are bound by a single vote held more than four decades ago to…

Press Release

Read More: News Release: Majority of Union Employees Want Worker Voting Rights

State Budget

Tax Hikes Won’t Prevent Credit Downgrades

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 17, 2017

In July, S&P placed Pennsylvania on a negative credit watch, citing budget uncertainties. The move signaled a potential credit rating downgrade for Pennsylvania, which Governor Wolf is using to push for higher taxes.

Media

Read More: Tax Hikes Won’t Prevent Credit Downgrades