Introduction

How should Pennsylvania pay for its transportation infrastructure, now that the Federal Highway Administration has rejected the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s application to toll Interstate 80?  Gas taxes?  Vehicle fees?  Tolls?

Executive Summary

Politicians and school officials frequently point to student performance  on state tests as a primary measure of the quality of public education.  According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) “is a standards based criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student’s attainment of the academic standards while also determining the degree to which school programs enable students to attain proficiency of the standards.”

Tthe Commonwealth Foundation and the Los Angeles-based Reason Foundation released a policy brief entitled Leasing the Turnpike: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers to help enhance and enlighten the current transportation policy debate.

The policy brief asks and answers twenty-one of the most common questions related to Pennsylvania's transportation funding needs and cost, current and proposed solutions, and the benefits of a Turnpike lease.

The twenty-one questions and answers in the policy brief include:

Executive Summary

An increasing number of parents are choosing Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools for their children every year. Between 2001 and 2006, enrollment grew from 1,848 to almost 16,000 students. Although cyber schools receive less funding than traditional public schools, they perform well academically despite frequently serving students who are hard to educate. In the 2006-07 school year, Pennsylvania’s cyber schools collectively met 64 out of 78 of the state’s academic criteria for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Introduction

Every year, most Pennsylvania homeowners receive larger property tax bills due to increases in public school spending. In the nine school years from 1997 to 2006, school property taxes increased by 61%, or $3.6 billion—costing the average homeowner an additional $840 per year.

Executive Summary

The push toward taxpayer-funded preschool for every child in Pennsylvania continues with Governor Rendell’s budget proposal for the 2007-08 fiscal year. The Governor wants $75 million for “Pre-K Counts,” which would provide grants to school districts, Head Start programs, and community providers at the discretion of the Rendell Administration to serve a projected 11,100 children. At a cost of $6,750 per child to state taxpayers, “free” preschool would be made available to parents in certain areas of the state, without regard to family income.

INTRODUCTION

Executive Summary Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann has proposed a number of changes to state tax rates. This analysis focuses on four major components of that proposal—namely reductions in the tax rates for the Corporate Net Income Tax, the Personal Income Tax, the Corporate Stock and Franchise Tax, and the Inheritance Tax.

Executive Summary

The total cost of state and local government in Pennsylvania reached an estimated $108.3 billion in FY 2005-06, and will likely exceed $130 billion by FY 2010-11 (by conservative projections). The current state and local government levels of spending represent an increase of 105%—more than double the concurrent estimated combined rates of inflation and population growth (47.4%)—from the FY 1991-92 level of $52.8 billion.

Executive Summary

One of the most discussed legislative reforms in Harrisburg is a reduction in the size of the General Assembly. One version of this proposal, SB 890, sponsored by Sen. John Pippy (R–Moon Township), would reduce the Pennsylvania General Assembly by 40% from 253 members (203 in the House, 50 in the Senate) to 151 members (121 in the House, 30 in the Senate). The general motivation for reducing the size of the legislature stems from the desire to improve both legislative efficiency and effectiveness.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On July 7, 2005, a political firestorm was ignited in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the form of a controversial pay raise for legislators, members of the executive branch, and judges. The legislation was eventually repealed in November 2005 after months of public outcry and the removal of one Supreme Court Justice from office via the ballot box.

Introduction

To date, the school property tax discussion in Pennsylvania has narrowly focused on the revenue side of the equation, without addressing the spending side of the ledger. This has led to proposals that merely shift revenue sources from property taxes to higher sales or income taxes. The result under these various scenarios is that some taxpayers will “win” and others will “lose,” depending on a family’s income and whether they rent or own a home.

An Opportunity for Economic Growth in the Commonwealth

Introduction

Pennsylvania is Exhibit #1 proving the axiom: “You can have government growth, or you can have economic growth, but you can’t have both!” For years, Pennsylvania public policy has increased government spending dramatically to the detriment of the economy.

Executive Summary

The total cost of state and local government in Pennsylvania is projected to exceed $102 billion in FY 2004-05, and will likely reach more than $115 billion by the 2008-09 fiscal year (by conservative projections). The current state and local government levels of spending represent an increase of 93 percent—more than double the combined rates of inflation and population growth—from the FY 1991-92 level of $52.9 billion.

Executive Summary

The importance of adhering to the Constitution and the perils of ignoring its restrictions

Executive Summary

Executive Summary

Executive Summary

A major funding stream for Gov. Ed Rendell’s “Plan for a New Pennsylvania” would come from a 34 percent increase in the Commonwealth’s personal income tax (PIT), from the current rate of 2.8 percent to 3.75 percent. In making his case for the increase, the governor has argued that even with his proposed PIT increase, Pennsylvania’s PIT rate would still be lower “than comparable taxes in 38 other states.”