COMMONWEALTH Forum: Addressing Pennsylvania’s Structural Budget Deficit

Authors

  • Bob Dick
  • Marc Stier

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15367/com.v20i1.177

Abstract

In November 2016 Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office released a five-year projection of the health of the Commonwealth’s economy and budget. The long-term estimates were not promising as increasing expenditures outstripped existing sources of revenues. Left unchanged, the status quo would result in a deficit of almost $3 billion in fiscal year 2021–22. Tackling this “structural deficit” is one of the most difficult issues facing the state of Pennsylvania. Given the current political climate it should come as no surprise that there is no consensus on resolving this problem. COMMONWEALTH invited representatives from two very different policy perspectives to provide their solutions to the structural deficit. We would like to thank Bob Dick of the Commonwealth Foundation and Marc Stier of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center for addressing this important issue in the COMMONWEALTH Forum.

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Published

2018-03-19