State Budget and Tax Policy

PBPC Responds to Gas Industry-Financed Report on Marcellus Shale's Economic Impact

May 25, 2010

Natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale has the potential to bring jobs and economic opportunity to Pennsylvania. However, the gas industry is overstating the economic benefits of increased drilling and overestimating the impact of a severance tax.

Listen to PBPC's Budget Conference Call with Editorial Page Editors and Columnists

May 21, 2010

Now that the dust has settled after Tuesday’s primary elections, the Pennsylvania General Assembly will turn its attention back to the state budget. Listen to PBPC Director Sharon Ward's insights on the state budget.

Pa. House Revenue Package Will Close Tax Loopholes, While Preserving Critical Services

May 11, 2010

During the week of May 24, the House is expected to vote on a legislative package that would end special interest tax breaks in order to preserve critical public services like education and health care.

A Closer Look at Four Revenue Measures Under Consideration in Legislature

May 7, 2010

PBPC has prepared easy-to-read fact sheets on taxing cigars, chewing tobacco, snuff, and loose tobacco; enacting a severance tax on natural gas drilling; closing corporate tax loopholes; and doing away with the obsolete sales tax vendor discount.

With Revenue Shortfall Eclipsing $1 Billion in April, More Cuts Likely, New Revenue Needed

May 5, 2010

April revenue collections, battered by the recession, missed the mark by $390 million. Personal income tax and corporate tax collections were well below expectations for the month, while a delay in table game license fees kept non-tax revenue short of projections.

Budget Points: Last One to the Party - Pennsylvania's Proposed Other Tobacco Products Tax

April 20, 2010

An excise tax on other tobacco products, including cigars and smokeless tobacco, will raise needed revenue for health care, education and environmental protection, while also reducing tobacco usage, including among young people. Pennsylvania is one of the only states without such a tax. (Updated, May 3, 2010)

Court Ruling Blows $800 Million Hole in Budget

April 16, 2010

An already difficult state budget was made much worse this week by a court decision ordering Pennsylvania to return $808 million to a state-run medical malpractice fund. The funds had been transferred to the General Fund last year as part of the 2009-10 state budget agreement.

This Tax Day, Nearly All Working Pennsylvanians Are Paying Less

April 15, 2010

Today marks the annual income tax deadline, and nearly every working Pennsylvanian and working American is getting a tax cut, thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.