Home

What's New

Blog Post | Food

FDA Protects Public by Releasing Two Long-Delayed Food Safety Rules

Five Critical Rules Still Yet To Be Released

> Keep Reading
Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Transparency in City Spending

Following our earlier studies of government spending at the state level, this report evaluates the progress of America’s 30 largest cities toward “Transparency 2.0” – a standard of encompassing, one-stop, one-click budget accountability and accessibility.

> Keep Reading
Report | PennPIRG | Democracy

Elections Confidential

“Elections Confidential” describes how secret donors poured hundreds of millions into the 2012 election through “social welfare” non-profits that are really political vehicles and via shell corporations formed as conduits to hide a funder’s identity.

> Keep Reading
News Release | PennPIRG | Democracy

New Report Shows Impact of Big Money in the 2012 Election

32 Super PAC Mega-Donors Match Total Giving of 3.7 Million Presidential Campaign Small Donors; Nearly Half of TV Ads in Presidential Race Funded by “Dark Money”

> Keep Reading
News Release | PennPIRG | Democracy

Philadelphia Organizations, Citizens, and Elected Officials Hold Press Conference and Rally to Overturn Citizens United

Today at a press conference and rally, a diverse coalition of more than 20 organizations, elected officials, faith groups, and citizens gathered at LOVE Park and braved the cold to mark the third anniversary of the Citizens United court decision and call for the reversal of a big money system that favors powerful special interests over the public interest.

> Keep Reading

Pages

News Release | PennPIRG | Tax

First Step to Avoid the Fiscal Cliff: Close Offshore Tax Loopholes

Many of America’s largest corporations and wealthiest individuals use accounting gimmicks to shift profits made in America to offshore tax havens, where they pay little to no taxes. This tax avoidance costs the federal government $150 billion in tax revenue each year.  PennPIRG released new data illustrating the size of this loss with 16 dramatic ways $150 billion could be spent.

> Keep Reading
News Release | PennPIRG | Tax

This Time, BP Settlement Protects Taxpayers

Unlike earlier settlements from the Gulf Oil spill, the settlement the U.S. Justice Department negotiated with BP stipulated that none of the penalties paid are tax-deductible, according to Lanny Breuer, head of the Dept. of Justice's criminal division.

> Keep Reading
News Release | U.S. PIRG | Tax

True Amount of BP Settlement Will Depend on Hidden Tax Giveaways

BP agreed today to a $4.5 billion settlement to resolve felony and misdemeanor charges related to the gulf oil spill, but taxpayers may end up indirectly covering up to 35 percent of the amount if the company is allowed to take the amount as a tax write off. 

> Keep Reading
News Release | PennPIRG | Consumer Protection

Small Farmers and Citizens Speak Out Against Agricultural Subsidies in Farm Bill

Small farmers and ordinary citizens across the country are taking a stand against wasteful agricultural subsidies in the federal Farm Bill. With only a few weeks left before they adjourn for the election, reauthorizing or extending the Farm Bill is one of Congress’s top priorities.

> Keep Reading

Pages

Result | Health Care

Young People Now Covered

This year, the federal health care reforms that PennPIRG worked to win have started to pay off for young people. In the past, teens saw their premiums soar or were denied coverage when they turned 19, even if they’d been insured their whole lives. Now, they can remain on their parents’ plans until age 26. 

> Keep Reading

Pages

Report | PennPIRG and the PFAW Foundation | Democracy

Outside Spending, Outsized Influence

The 2012 elections were by far the most expensive in history thanks primarily to the tidal wave of outside, special interest money triggered by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. The federal Senate and House races in Pennsylvania, where outside groups spent nearly $12 million, were no exception.

 

> Keep Reading
Report | PennPIRG and Demos | Democracy

Billion-Dollar Democracy

The first presidential election since Citizens United lived up to its hype, with unprecedented outside spending from new sources making headlines. Demos and the PennPIRG Education Fund's analysis of reports from campaigns, parties, and outside spenders to the Federal Election Commission found that our big money system distorts democracy and creates clear winners and losers: Wealthy Donors Over Average Citizens, Special Interests Over the Public Interest, Incumbents Over Challengers & Grassroots Candidates, Secret Spenders Over Voters Seeking Accountability.

 

> Keep Reading
Report | PennPIRG | Tax

Subsidizing Bad Behavior

BP’s recent $4.5 billion legal settlement with the Justice Department for its misdeeds in the Gulf oil spill was historic for being the largest ever criminal settlement. But it was historic for another reason as well—none of it is allowed to be tax deductible. Unfortunately, too many settlements for wrongdoing end up as tax deductions.

> Keep Reading
Report | PennPIRG | Tax

What America Could Do With $150 Billion Lost to Offshore Tax Havens

Many corporations and wealthy individuals use offshore tax havens—countries with minimal or no taxes—to avoid paying $150 billion in U.S. taxes each year. Americans, who must pick up the tab in the form of cuts to public services, more debt, or higher taxes.

> Keep Reading
Report | PennPIRG | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland

The 2012 Trouble in Toyland report is the 27th annual Pensylvania Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) survey of toy safety. In this report, PennPIRG provides safety guidelines for consumers when purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards. 

 

> Keep Reading

Pages

Blog Post | Tax

Statement on White House Plan to Close Tax LoopholesAlana MillerPhineas Baxandall

Statement by Alana Miller, Program Associate for the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group in response to the White House announcement proposing to eliminate tax loopholes and preferences.

 

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Today, CFPB to announce overdraft fee investigation, unveil "penalty box" disclosure, possibly end $39 lattes | Ed Mierzwinski

Would you knowingly agree to pay a $35 fee each time you used your debit card at point of sale, simply to allow you to purchase a $4 latte with only $2 in your account? Even the banks didn't think so, that's why they made “standard overdraft protection” a feature of your checking account that you didn't need to choose. Banks also changed the default switch on debit and ATM cards to allow overdrafts

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Transportation

House Transportation Bill Strikes First as Tragedy, Then as Dangerous Farce Alana MillerPhineas Baxandall

With much fanfare and 854 days late, the U.S. House last week introduced bills to fund our nation's transportation system for the next five years. The new rules for spending $260 billion over five years would be tilted more toward highways with less going to buses, rail, biking and pedestrian trails. Given the nation's urgent need to reduce our addiction to oil, that in itself would have been a tragedy.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Senators: Oppose bills that threaten public health | Alana Miller

Dear Senators Casey and Toomey,

 

PennPIRG writes to urge you to oppose all legislation that would undermine the nation’s most basic public health and safety protections.  In particular, we are writing about three bills: The Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA S.1606), the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act (RFIA S. 1938) and the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS S.299). All three bills pose a dangerous threat to the health and safety of the American people.

 

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Tax

What Do Jon Stewart, Elizabeth Warren, and Barack Obama Have In Common? | Alana Miller

> Keep Reading

Pages

Tools & Resources

  • Protect Penn. From Toxic Accidents
    This accident in Paulsboro, N.J., was a sobering reminder of the threat of toxic accidents. Tell the EPA: protect our communities from toxic threats.
    Learn more
    Take Action
  • STOP TAX DODGERS
    Corporate tax avoidance cost Pennsylvanians $4.4 billion last year. PennPIRG is working to close the loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying the taxes they owe.
    Learn more
    Take Action
  • Reclaim Democracy
    The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision ushered in an era of unprecedented spending by big money in our elections, but we're working to return our democracy back to the principle of "one person, one vote."
    Learn more
    Add your voice
  • How Many Tax Dollars In A Twinkie?
    Every year, more than a billion taxpayer dollars subsidize high-fructose corn syrup and other key ingredients in junk food at a time when 1 in 3 kids is overweight or obese.
    Take Action

Priority Action

The vinyl chloride spill in Paulsboro, N.J., was a sobering reminder of the threat of toxic spills. Tell the EPA: Keep our communities safe from toxic accidents.

ADD YOUR VOICE

Support Us

Your donation supports PennPIRG's work to stand up for consumers on the issues that matter, especially when powerful interests are blocking progress.

Donate Today