In a brief notice yesterday, federal energy regulators denied petitions asking them to reconsider their approval of a preliminary permit for a controversial hydroelectric project
Commonwealth Court has tossed out state rules requiring licensing of companies manufacturing e-cigarettes and the liquids used in them.The court found that the rules gave the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue too much discretion in deciding how they would be enforced.The decision came Friday in the context of a lawsuit filed by East Coast Vapor, a Harrisburg-based […]
For three years in a row, former Gov. Tom Wolf and state lawmakers tried to get their hands on surplus money held by Pennsylvania’s medical malpractice insurer of last resort.The insurer fought back, arguing that, as a private entity, its multimillion-dollar surplus should remain beyond the reach of public officials.Wolf and state legislators countered that […]
President-elect Donald Trump made hay during the campaign with pledges to end taxes on tips and overtime pay. It’s unclear whether the proposals will gain traction in the U.S. Congress, given their potential cost.But the debate is likely to play out in Harrisburg, as well.In recent weeks, Pennsylvania lawmakers have floated proposals to eliminate state income […]
Pennsylvania may have one of the highest gas taxes in the country, but the levy is delivering shrinking returns, according to a research brief this week from the Independent Fiscal Office, a state agency monitoring budgetary and economic trends. The culprit is declining gasoline usage in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which pretty much froze […]
A federal court in Texas suspended enforcement of a controversial business-reporting regulation four weeks before it was slated to take effect.In a ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant said the rule is “likely unconstitutional” and issued an order blocking its implementation pending further court review.Adopted under a law known as the Corporate Transparency Act, […]
Do you know who your owners are?It’s a question millions of businesses will have to answer by the end of the year under a federal law known as the Corporate Transparency Act.Enacted in 2021, the law requires corporations, LLCs, LPs and other business entities to report information about their owners and managers to a federal […]
Plenty of developers have likely wondered how cities and townships calculate the fees they charge for construction permits.Harrisburg-area developer Triple Crown Corp. took its questions all the way to Commonwealth Court, where it argued that fees charged by Lower Allen Township in Cumberland County for two apartment projects were unreasonable and unconstitutional.The case was thrown out […]
Pennsylvania is dodging a fiscal bullet thanks to a ruling handed down yesterday by the state’s highest court.At issue was a corporate taxpayer’s demand for a $2 million refund after a tax structure was declared unconstitutional.The Commonwealth Court ruled last year that the state should pay the refund. But a divided Supreme Court reversed the decision.Justices argued, […]
Gov. Josh Shapiro is hoping to ensure ambitious developers have a friend in Pennsylvania — or at least an easier time securing permits for construction.At an event in Philadelphia yesterday, the governor signed an executive order creating a transparent, fast-track permitting program for what are being described as “complex and impactful economic development and infrastructure projects.”State officials […]
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