Testimony by Sharon Ward before the Senate Majority Policy Committee
Sharon Ward of PA Budget and Policy Center registers opposition to Senate Bill 7 and 707. Her Testimony warns...
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Toward a Fair PA Tax System
Pennsylvania has a famously antiquated corporation tax system. This system taxes the profits of some home-grown Pennsylvania corporations at...
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Testimony: The Best Way to Improve Philadelphia’s Business Climate? Fund the Schools.
This is the Testimony that Sharon Ward presented to the Philadelphia City Council Finance Committee on December 11, 2013...
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Reform, Not Repeal: Pennsylvania Can Provide Property Tax Relief and Protect Public Schools
This paper examines the roles between property taxes and public education in Pennsylvania. Eliminating school property taxes, as some...
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A Strong State Commitment to Public Education, A Must Have for Pennsylvania’s Children
This report examines school funding in Pennsylvania, focusing on the city of Philadelphia and on other low-income school districts....
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Tax Wealth the Same as Work: The Buffett Rule Makes Tax System More Fair
Some wealthy households are able to take advantage of tax expenditures and loopholes to pay less of their income...
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PA’s Tax System Grows More Unfair: Low-Income Pay Price
Pennsylvania often falls near the bottom of state rankings—for instance, 47th in job growth and 48th in funding for...
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NY Gov Proposes Property Tax ‘Circuit Breaker’—Will PA Follow?
This week, New York governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a $1.66 billion property tax “circuit breaker” as part of his...
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The Empire Strikes Back: Shale Industry Minimizes Potential Severance Tax Revenue, But It’s Still More than Impact Fee
Pennsylvania would benefit from switching from its current impact fee to a severance tax. Depending on the estimate, the...
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It’s Official: Zogby Confirms $2 Billion Budget Gap
Budget Secretary Charles Zogby confirmed today during his final mid-year budget briefing that Pennsylvania will face a $2 billion...
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Philly Cigarette Tax Hike Becomes Law
It’s finally law! Philadelphia can now raise its own local cigarette tax by $2 per pack to fund its...
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Number of Poor Pennsylvanians High, Income Growth Not Widely Shared
Poverty remained high in the commonwealth last year, highlighting that many residents have not yet recovered from the recession...
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