Corporate Welfare's Record of Failure
In a free market economy, entrepreneurs succeed or fail based on their ability to meet their customers’ needs. Yet all too often, government disrupts this process by conferring tax credits, loans, and grants to favored individuals or businesses.
Don't Wait on Washington for Manufacturing Jobs
During his campaign stops in Pennsylvania, President-elect Donald Trump touted his intention to bring manufacturing jobs back to the state. That’s a worthy goal, but the truth is the Keystone State doesn’t need to wait for a president of either party to start revitalizing its manufacturing sector.
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New IFO Report Emphasizes Need to Reform Spending
Yesterday’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) mid-year report warned Pennsylvania could face a $900 million budget shortfall this year alone. By 2022, this deficit could reach $3 billion per year.
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'Spend-first, Tax-later' is Flawed Budgeting
As it stands, this budget leaves families trapped in a game of tax roulette—praying their taxes don’t go up this year. Next year, let’s hope taxpayers don’t have to choose between an on-time budget and a good budget.
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Time to End Corporate Welfare Handouts
Conservatives loathe government handouts. Liberals denounce special favors to corporations. One thing can unify these two sides: ending Pennsylvania’s budget-busting corporate welfare handouts.
Read More >We're #1! Pa. Leads Nation in Corporate Welfare
The Wolf administration claims important state spending has been “cut to the bone” and says only tax hikes will prevent more cuts to education and human services. But can a government topping the nation in corporate welfare at $700 million truly be funding the bare minimum?
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The Costs of Corporate Welfare
Of the last 46 state budgets, only one did not increase total spending. This explosion has been fueled in part by special subsidies doled out to select businesses, creating an economic system favoring the privileged few at the expense of everyone else.
Read More >Pa. Could Face 2nd-Highest Sales Tax in America
Pennsylvanians may soon pay more for nearly everything they buy. Under the latest proposed budget deal, state sales taxes would jump from 6 percent to 7.25 percent—giving Pennsylvania the second-highest statewide sales tax in the nation.
Read More >Wolf’s Cradle-to-Grave Tax Plan Burdens Families, Sacrifices Jobs
Gov. Wolf’s cradle-to-grave tax plan asks Pennsylvanians to sacrifice some big-ticket items—$1,400 per family of four and 40,000 private sector jobs—all to fund a bloated state budget that has grown $4,000 per person over the past 45 years and spends tax dollars at an astonishing $1,000 per second.
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Five Steps Toward a Balanced Budget
The consequences of overspending have plagued Pennsylvania for years. This year is no different. Lawmakers are tasked with eliminating a projected budget deficit of nearly $1.7 billion, according to forecasts from the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO). Without reform, this structural deficit could exceed $2.5 billion by 2020.
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Blueprint for a Prosperous Pennsylvania
Over the past six fiscal years, the commonwealth has spent more than it has taken in. This fiscal gap is projected to widen as expenditures are on pace to grow faster than future revenue. Such a structural deficit poses a threat to the very foundations of economic growth and job creation that lead to prosperity for Pennsylvania’s taxpayers.
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