Recent Issues
State Government is Killing My Business
In 2013, I opened my first business. I’d overcome many challenges and assumed some gut-wrenching risks to get there, but I did it—and I was proud. But less than three years later, my business—my dream—is on the brink of shutting down because state government is taxing it to death.
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Pennsylvania Budget Facts 2010: Tobacco Taxes
Gov. Rendell proposed a tax of 30% on the retail price of cigars and smokeless tobacco products, in hopes of collecting $42 million in the upcoming fiscal year.
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Budget Facts 2009: Cigarette Taxes
Pennsylvania faces a $3 billion tax revenue shortfall in the state’s General Fund Budget. Competing proposals from Gov. Ed Rendell and the Republican-led Senate differ on raising taxes and reducing/reprioritizing spending. This is the sixth in a series of fact sheets on the state budget.
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Recent Blog Posts
Op-Ed: Pennsylvanians can’t afford Biden’s multi-trillion tax-and-spend plan
With the legislative sausage-making now underway, it’s likely Pennsylvanians would find the menu of specific tax hikes distasteful.
Cigarette Taxes Target the Poor
There are two primary motivations behind sin taxes, revenue and ending unhealthy behaviors. However, in the long term neither of these goals is fully accomplished by sin taxes—especially cigarette taxes.
Phila. Cigarette Tax Levied on Non-Philadelphia, Non-Smokers
A tax promised to fall on cigarette smokers from Philadelphia will effectively be levied on non-smokers from outside of the city. And as for the state budget shortfall? It may have just grown by $8.4 million.