Income Inequality

Unintended Consequences? Property Tax Elimination Increases Taxes on the Middle Class to Reduce Taxes for high income families

Posted by Mark Price on November 20, 2015 3:56 pm

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The budget end game has focused a lot on property tax cuts. The budget framework agreement includes property tax relief, the allocation of which has not yet been worked out. And now the Pennsylvania Senate will consider SB 76, a bill to eliminate school property taxes early next week. Property tax elimination would be paid for by raising the sales tax rate to 7 percent and expanding it to cover more services, and by raising the personal income tax rate to 4.34 percent.

The Union of the Future

Posted by Stephen Herzenberg on August 11, 2015 2:09 pm

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Kati Sipp's latest blog post on "Hack the Union" has a link to a thought-provoking interview with Michelle Miller, founder of coworker.org.

Report Ranks Pa. 23rd Among States, Gives It C+ Grade, for Status of Women

Posted by Shelley Aragoncillo on June 15, 2015 6:20 pm

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A new report by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on the status of women in six different categories: poverty and opportunity, work and family, violence and safety, reproductive rights, health and well-being, and political participation. Minnesota, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont scored highest overall.

This Price Is Right -- About Reducing CEO Pay So Companies Can Pay More to Their Lowest Paid

Posted by Stephen Herzenberg on April 20, 2015 7:57 pm

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No, not Keystone Research Center labor economist Mark Price. Dan Price. CEO and owner of Gravity Payments, a credit card processing company in Seattle. Although the two men do kind of look alike.

Fight for $15 - and the Birth of the Next American Middle Class

Posted by Stephen Herzenberg on April 15, 2015 12:00 pm

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Today, low-wage worker protests across Pennsylvania, the nation, and the globe will reach their greatest scale yet.

Mobilizing behind a demand for "$15 and a union," this swelling movement holds the key to the future of opportunity and the middle class in America.

OK, So It's Not the Swimsuit Issue...But Mark Price Made SI (Sports Illustrated)

Posted by Stephen Herzenberg on March 15, 2015 3:58 pm

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This may be a first for an economist. A map based on a report by our very own Mark Price -- the Increasingly Unequal States of America -- made the Sports Illustrated blog at the end of last week. Fortunately, it was not accompanied by a picture of Mark on the beach during his recent work-related trips (yes, plural) to Miami.

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Making Work Pay Coalition Forms to Help Working Families

Posted by Jeff Garis on February 3, 2015 1:17 pm

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More than two dozen advocacy and direct-service organizations from across the commonwealth, including the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, have united to champion measures to help working families care for their children and get ahead.

Tens of thousands of hard-working, low-wage earners in Pennsylvania – such as domestic care providers, fast food employees, and retail workers – struggle every day to provide for their families. Despite steady income and long workdays, many of these families still have trouble making ends meet.

Pa.'s Tax System Grows More Unfair: Low-Income Pay Price

Posted by Shelley Aragoncillo on January 16, 2015 12:38 pm

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Pennsylvania often falls near the bottom of state rankings – for instance, 47^th in job growth and 48^th in funding for public higher education per capita. So, at first blush, it might seem like good news this week that the commonwealth came in sixth place for something. Unfortunately, it’s in a ranking of how unfair states’ tax systems are.

For Pa. School Districts, the Rich Get Richer & the Poor Get Poorer

Posted by Waslala Miranda on January 9, 2015 6:50 pm

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According to an Associated Press analysis, the gap between the haves and have-nots in public schools grew much worse during Gov.

Why Triad Strategies is Wrong on Ride Sharing

Posted by Stephen Herzenberg on July 9, 2014 9:43 pm

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Our recent blog on 'the Non-Sharing Economy' prompted a response from Roy Wells at Triad Strategies. Triad is the Harrisburg lobbying and public relations firm secured by Lyft to make the case that its services should not be subject to the same rules that govern cabs. We appreciate Roy's weighing in and giving us the opportunity for a deeper back-and-forth.

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