Director Knittel submitted content for publication in the CPA Now blog posted on December 22, 2025. The blog discusses the $5 billion structural deficit for FY 25-26 and provides background on income and sales tax that might be used to address it.
This report presents data on Pennsylvania tax credits and economic development incentives for fiscal years (FY) 2020-21 through FY 2025-26. The tables provide annual detail on tax credit utilization or awards, state spending or grants, job training programs and state loan programs. Fiscal year 2025-26 amounts are budgeted, authorized or projected and will differ from final amounts claimed or awarded. The report also highlights recent changes to incentive program spending or utilization.
The IFO published a new budget brief that uses the latest SNAP benefits data for November 2025. The data show that the number of enrollees declined by 158,000 (-8%) from the prior year as new work requirements take effect.
This research brief examines recent trends for Pennsylvania gasoline consumption and PennDOT's highway and bridge construction project materials index. The data show a significant divergence, creating funding issues for future projects.
This research brief computes 2023 county-level effective tax rates (ETRs) as the ratio of personal income tax liability to total income. Total income includes both taxable and non-taxable income (e.g., Social Security, pensions, SNAP benefits). Counties surrounding Philadelphia (Chester, Montgomery, Bucks and Delaware) had some of the highest ETRs, while rural counties (Forest, Cameron, Sullivan and Venango) had the lowest ETRs.
This report uses recent data published by the Department of Environmental Protection to project CY 2025 Impact Fee collections (remitted April 2026). Collections are estimated to be $240 million, an increase of $75 million from the prior year.
As a follow up to its annual Fiscal Outlook, the IFO released a one page summary that examines factors that contributed to the rapid expansion of the General Fund structural deficit.
This document uses data from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Energy Information Administration and Natural Gas Intelligence to provide a quarterly update on recent trends in production volume, well counts and average spot prices.
The IFO released an updated forecast of the Act 1 Index, which limits school district property tax rate increases. The report projects the index through FY 2030-31 and provides an overview of recent usage of the index by school districts.
The Commonwealth collected $3.02 billion in General Fund revenues for November, an increase of $90 million compared to November 2024.