IFO Releases
Economic and Budget Outlook Hearing Request
February 10, 2023 | Economics and Other
The IFO published a letter in response to requests for additional information raised at a recent economic and budget outlook hearing on January 24, 2023.
SNAP Emergency Allotments End in February
January 27, 2023 | Economics and Other
The IFO posted a research brief that is the first in a series that examines the end or phase-out of various programs tied to the federal public health emergency that will impact the state economy. The brief quantifies the impact from the end of SNAP emergency allotments in February 2023.
This research brief was reposted on February 2, 2023 to change the 2023 summer benefit to $120 per child.
Analysis of Proposed Changes to State Motor Fuel Taxes
January 26, 2023 | Economics and Other
The IFO published a letter in response to a request from Chairman Grove for a static and dynamic analysis of proposed changes to state motor fuel taxes. The proposal would reduce those taxes and replace lost revenues with motor vehicle sales and use taxes.
Post-Pandemic Gasoline Consumption
January 05, 2023 | Economics and Other
The IFO published a research brief on the decline in Pennsylvania gasoline consumption resulting from recent trends in remote working and higher gasoline prices. Reduced consumption means less funding for road and bridge construction, as gasoline taxes fund 55% of those projects.
Tags: brief, consumption, gasoline, research
PA Population Contracts Since 2020
January 04, 2023 | Economics and Other
The IFO published a research brief that uses the latest Census data to rank states based on net migration between states since 2020. During the past two years, Pennsylvania recorded a net domestic outflow of 16,220. Relative to state population, the net outflow caused state population to contract by 0.1%, which ranked 29th across all states.
Tags: contraction, pennsylvania, population
Unemployment Compensation by AGI
December 21, 2022 | Economics and Other
The IFO published a research brief that uses the latest federal tax return data to provide a breakdown by income class for unemployment compensation (UC) benefits received by Pennsylvania residents in 2019 and 2020. For 2020, residents received $33.4 billion of UC income and $21.3 billion (64%) was reported on the federal tax return. For amounts reported, $2.9 billion (13.4%) was reported by filers with more than $100,000 of adjusted gross income (AGI). High income taxpayers qualify for UC benefits because the federal program does not apply income thresholds.
Tags: brief, compensation, research, unemployment
Tax Credits and Economic Development Incentives
December 15, 2022 | Economics and Other
This research brief presents data on Pennsylvania tax credits and economic development incentives for fiscal years (FY) 2017-18 through FY 2022-23. The tables provide annual detail on tax credit utilization or awards, state spending or grants, job training programs and state loan programs. Fiscal year 2022-23 amounts are budgeted, authorized or projected and may differ from final amounts expended or awarded for the year. The brief also highlights recent changes to incentive program spending or utilization.
This research brief was reposted on December 21 to correct a text error on page 1.
Young Workers Leave PA Workforce
December 08, 2022 | Economics and Other
The IFO published a new research brief that examines the age composition of the PA workforce using the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Since the onset of the pandemic, the data show significant reductions in workforce participation rates for workers under age 35. Workforce participation rates declined for older workers too, but contractions were notably more moderate.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Tax Incentives Without ROI
October 26, 2022 | Economics and Other
Michaela Miller gave a brief presentation at the FTA Revenue Estimation and Tax Research Conference on evaluating the effectiveness of tax incentives without ROI. The REAP tax credit was used as a case study.
Tags: incentives, roi, tax
Where Did the Workers Go?
October 25, 2022 | Economics and Other
This research brief updates a prior release in August 2022 to show data for more recent months and new demographic projections from the IFO’s Demographic Outlook report.
The IFO published a research brief that examines the factors that caused the PA labor force to contract by 120,000 workers since the start of the pandemic. The updated research brief focuses on the interaction between recent and projected demographic trends and the contraction of the state labor force.
Tags: brief, demographics, labor, research