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March 2, 2010 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: March 2010
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue reports that through the end of February, state General Fund revenues are $477 million below estimate for the 2009-10 fiscal year.
February 23, 2010 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Budget Facts 2010: Spending Increases by Department
Pennsylvania faces a projected General Fund tax revenue shortfall of at least $500 million. Governor Rendell proposed a $29 billion budget for 2010-11, that increases businesses taxes, imposes new taxes on natural gas and tobacco products, and expanding the sales tax to include many goods and services currently exempt. This is the second in a series of fact sheets on the state budget.
February 23, 2010 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Budget Facts 2010: Pennsylvania State Budget Overview
Pennsylvania faces a projected General Fund tax revenue shortfall of at least $500 million. Governor Rendell proposed a $29 billion General Fund budget for 2010-11, that increases businesses taxes, imposes new taxes on natural gas and tobacco products, and expands the sales tax to many goods and services currently exempt. This is the first in a series of fact sheets on the state budget.
February 8, 2010 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Pennsylvania State Budget Resources
Commonwealth Foundation information on Proposed PA State Budget
December 3, 2009 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Spending Transparency & Accountability
There is a national movement to make government spending and finances accessible to taxpayers. Pennsylvania lags behind, but state lawmakers are moving toward greater transparency.
November 23, 2009 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Pennsylvania Pensions and Taxes
Pennsylvania's statewide pension plans for public school employees, state workers, legislators, judges and other government employees - the Public School Employee Retirement System (PSERS) and the State Employee Retirement System (SERS) - will require significantly higher taxpayer contributions in the 2012-13 fiscal year and beyond.
November 18, 2009 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Alternative Energy Mandates
Pennsylvania law requires utility companies to produce a certain percentage of their electricity from alternative sources in future years. Proposed legislation would increase this percentage and require new carbon sequestration practices. Both the current mandate and the proposed change will make electricity more expensive for Pennsylvanians.
October 20, 2009 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Guide to National Health Care Reform Proposals
President Obama has pushed national health care reform, making it a priority. While there is no official "Obama plan," and several different proposal in Congress, the leading proposals have several common themes. Unfortunately, instead of learning from the mistakes of state-based health care reform, these proposals repeat them.
October 15, 2009 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Budget Facts 2009: Budget Deal = Budget Deficits
Unfortunately, even if the Pennsylvania economy recovered to unprecedented level in next two years, there is no way it could possibly produce enough tax revenue to bridge the budgetary canyon that will emerge when 1) the federal stimulus money drops in 2010 and then disappears in 2011, and 2) the pension obligations for PSERS and SERS come due in 2012.
October 15, 2009 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Pennsylvania Corrections Spending
Facing a massive budget deficit, and with sizeable financial obligations looming, Pennsylvania needs to re-examine how taxpayer dollars are spent. Spending on the Department of Corrections has grown far beyond the rate of inflation. It is imperative for lawmakers to look at ways to control corrections costs while continuing to protect public safety.
