High taxes make for a slow-growing economy. And communities feel the pinch of high taxes as more and more native Pennsylvanians leave the Keystone State to prosper elsewhere. To remain economically competitive, Pennsylvania must lower state taxes and ensure businesses have the opportunity to succeed. Lower taxes will incentivize more individuals to call Pennsylvania their home, ultimately spurring our statewide economy forward.

Taxes & Economy

Economic Development

  • February 28, 2003

Across the United States, state and local governments are locked in a constant competition to attract and retain businesses. Public subsidies, in the form of grants, loans, tax incentives, and…

Fact Sheet

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Taxes & Economy

Parent Reform: The Next Movement in Public Education?

  • February 21, 2003

Lebanon sure isn’t Lake Wobegon where, as Garrison Keillor tells it, all the children are above average. Heck, this Lebanon, Pennsylvania school district is apparently so troubled by children, it’s…

Commentary

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Taxes & Economy

Creating A Truly New Pennsylvania

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • January 30, 2003

Pennsylvanians with high hopes that Governor Ed Rendell’s economic development policies will create a “new Pennsylvania” had better be prepared for disappointment. The new governor’s recent public comments make it…

Commentary

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Education

School Taxes and Education Quality: Rendells Rhetoric Versus Reality

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • January 22, 2003

Governor Rendell’s inaugural speech reiterated his campaign promise to reform Pennsylvania’s school funding and property tax system while boosting the state’s share of total school revenue to 50 percent. But…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

The Impact of Compulsory Unionism on Economic Development

  • November 1, 2002

Executive Summary With increasing global competition taking a toll on U.S. manufacturing jobs, and state governments and municipalities struggling to achieve greater operating efficiencies in the face of declining revenues…

Report

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Public Union Democracy

Nobody should be forced to pay for someone elses politics!

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • October 22, 2002

Testimony of Matthew J. Brouillette, President, Commonwealth Foundation Thank you Mr. Chairman and Members of the House Labor Relations Committee for the invitation to testify this morning on an important…

Commentary

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Education

Waiting at the Cradle

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • October 16, 2002

"Hey, what about the kids?" That is the slogan for a multimillion-dollar public relations campaign called "Focus Five for Kids," created to highlight children's issues during the Pennsylvania gubernatorial campaign.

Commentary

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Taxes & Economy

Special Session on Property Tax Relief

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • September 25, 2002

Testimony of Matthew J. Brouillette, President, Commonwealth Foundation Thank you, Chairman Wenger and members of the Committee for the invitation to testify this afternoon. My name is Matthew Brouillette and…

Commentary

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Education

The Pennsylvania State (Everything But) Education Association

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • September 25, 2002

Almost as predictable as the beginning of the football season is the start of the strike season by public school employees in Pennsylvania. And the kick-off to the 2002-03 school…

Commentary

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Taxes & Economy

R. A. D. is Bad for Pennsylvania

  • September 1, 2002

Executive Summary A quiet campaign is currently underway to increase taxes on consumers in four central Pennsylvania counties. By granting elected officials in those counties the power to create a…

Fact Sheet

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Education

The Myth of the Special Education Burden

  • August 1, 2002

Executive Summary Over the past thirty years, school property taxes in Pennsylvania have increased at a rate more than twice the concurrent rate of inflation. Local school boards—those elected officials…

Fact Sheet

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Education

Dispelling the Myth of Pennsylvanias Under-Funded Public Schools

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • July 1, 2002

Executive Summary The perennial debate over education funding in Pennsylvania—when it is not about how much more schools should get—is about how the taxpayers should fund the schools. Current discussions…

Fact Sheet

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Public Union Democracy

Pennsylvania Businesses Can Now Spend Less Time In The Courtroom

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • June 21, 2002

By their very nature, businesspeople are willing to take significant risks to compete in the marketplace. Indeed, every day the profit motive compels people to invest their life savings in…

Commentary

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Education

More Dollars Will Not Produce More Scholars

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • May 1, 2002

Just one day after Pennsylvania celebrated Tax Freedom Day 2002—the day when citizens stop toiling just to pay their federal, state, and local taxes and are finally free to work…

Commentary

Read More: More Dollars Will Not Produce More Scholars