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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.

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.

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.

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.

News Release | PennPIRG | Consumer Protection

New Survey Shows Free Checking Widely Available At Small Banks But Banks Still Hiding Fees from Consumers

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Media Hit | Consumer Protection

Debt Trap: Keep payday and predatory lenders out of Pennsylvania- Editorial

The Patriot-News Editorial board speaks out against a bill that would allow payday lenders to charge triple diget interest rates. This bill is opposed by PennPIRG and a coalition of organizations throughout Pennsylvania.

News Release | PennPIRG Education Fund | Democracy

Vast Majority of PA College IDs Not Valid for Voting

April 12, PHILADELPHIA - A recent study released today by PennPIRG and a broad coalition of voter protection groups found that Pennsylvania’s new photo ID voting law could potentially disenfranchise more than 80% of the state’s college students.

News Release | PennPIRG | Tax

Offshore Tax Havens Cost PA Taxpayers $452 per Year

April 12, PHILADELPHIA – With tax day approaching, a new study released by PennPIRG found that the average Pennsylvania taxpayer in 2011 would have to shoulder an extra $452 tax burden to make up for revenue lost from corporations and wealthy individuals shifting income to offshore tax havens.

News Release | PennPIRG Education Fund | Transportation

Youth Drive Less, Desire More Transportation Options

A new report released today by the PennPIRG Education Fund, in conjunction with U.S.PIRG, demonstrates that Americans have been driving less since the middle of last decade. The report, Transportation and the New Generation: Why Young People are Driving Less and What it Means for Transportation Policy, shows that young people in particular are decreasing the amount they drive and increasing their use of transportation alternatives.

News Release | PennPIRG Education Fund and Demos | Consumer Protection

Report: “Pennsylvania Lives at Risk”

Philadelphia, PA – A new report by Demos and PennPIRG finds that Pennsylvanian’s lives, health and livelihoods would be at risk if so-called “regulatory reform” proposals were to become law, slowing or stopping the regulatory process.

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Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Budget, Food

Apples to Twinkies 2012

In this report, we find that in 2011, over $1.28 billion in taxpayer subsidies went to junk food ingredients, bringing the total to a staggering $18.2 billion since 1995. To put that figure in perspective, $18.2 billion is enough to buy 2.9 billion Twinkies every year - 21 for every single American taxpayer.

Report | PennPIRG | Tax

Picking Up the Tab

Some U.S.-based multinational firms or individuals avoid paying U.S. taxes by transferring their earnings to tax haven countries with minimal or no taxes. These tax haven users benefit from their access to America’s markets, workforce, infrastructure and security; but they pay little or nothing for it — violating the basic fairness of the tax system and forcing other taxpayers to pick up the tab.

Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Transportation

Transportation and the New Generation

From World War II until just a few years ago, the number of miles driven annually on America’s roads steadily increased. Then, at the turn of the century, something changed: Americans began driving less. By 2011, the average American was driving 6 percent fewer miles per year than in 2004.

Report | PennPIRG Education Fund and Demos | Health Care

Pennsylvania lives at risk

The United States Congress is currently considering so-called “regulatory reform” legislation that would add new bureaucratic hurdles to stall and, in some cases, stop the creation of new safeguards and standards that hold corporations accountable and protect the public. According to our analysis, the result would be demonstrable harm for the people of Pennsylvania.

Report | PennPIRG Education Fund | Budget

Following the Money 2012

The ability to see how government uses the public purse is fundamental to democracy. Transparency in government spending promotes fiscal responsibility, checks corruption, and bolsters public confidence.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Avoid bank fees | Alana Miller

PennPIRG’s advice to consumers remains simple: shop around (see our banking guide). Big banks can charge increasingly bigger fees and make it harder for customers to avoid them because they know consumers don’t shop around.

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Blog Post | Transportation

HB 3: Public-Private Partnernship Legislative Position Paper | Alana Miller

We recognize that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania faces record deficits at as much as four billion dollars. We understand the pressure to identify new sources of money for maintenance and construction of essential infrastructure. However, we want to express our deep concern about the utilization of public-private partnerships without adequate public protections.

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Blog Post | Transportation

Small Businesses Support 21st Century Transportation | Alana Miller

America must move toward a new transportation future for the 21st century that enhances our economy, national security, public health, environment, and quality of life.

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Blog Post | Tax

Testimony on Closing Corporate Tax Loopholes in PA

As people all across Pennsylvania are struggling to make ends meet, large national and international corporations are taking advantage of huge loopholes in our current tax system, and not paying their fair share. This forces the rest of us to shoulder the burden even more.

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Blog Post

Testimony in Support of Smoke-free Workplaces

The U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona issued a comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. The report finds that even brief secondhand smoke exposure can cause immediate harm, and concludes that the only way to protect nonsmokers from the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking indoors. For this reason, PennPIRG supports a ban on smoking in restaurants, bars, private clubs, and casinos.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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