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Blog Post | Consumer Protection, Health Care

The Supreme Court and the High Cost of Prescription Drugs | Jennifer Kim

Everyone knows prescription drugs cost more than they should. But many people are surprised to learn about one of the key ways drug companies keep prices high:  Paying off competitors to keep generics off the market. On Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case about this very practice.

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News Release | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Budget, Tax

New Jersey Receives a "C" in Annual Report on Transparency of Government Spending

New Jersey received a “C” when it comes to government spending transparency, according to the fourth annual report of its kind by the NJPIRG Law & Policy Center.

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Report | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Budget, Tax

Following the Money 2013

This is the fourth annual report card ranking of state government online spending transparency.

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News Release | NJPIRG | Budget, Tax

Senate Budget Debate Shows Bipartisan Support for Closing Offshore Tax Loopholes

A bipartisan group of senators agree that closing offshore tax loopholes, which allow large profitable companies to dodge billions in taxes, needs to be part of the budget. We applaud Sens. Levin (D-MI), McCain (R-AZ), and Whitehouse (D-RI) for proposing an amendment to the budget resolution that gives budget writers the authority to ‘end offshore tax abuses used by large corporations.’

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Report | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Budget, Tax

The Hidden Cost of Offshore Tax Havens

Federal taxpayers are not the only victims of offshore tax havens. Tax havens deprive state governments of billions of dollars in badly needed revenues as well. Based how much income is federally reported in each state, and on state tax rates, it is possible to calculate how much each of the state governments lose as a result of offshore tax dodging.

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News Release | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Budget, Tax

Offshore Tax Dodging Saps $2.8 Billion from New Jersey’s Budget

NJPIRG, New Jersey Citizen Action, and the New Jersey Main Street Alliance came together at a Jersey City small business on 2/6/2013 to discuss a new NJPIRG study revealing that New Jersey lost $2.8 billion in state revenue due to offshore tax dodging in 2012.

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News Release | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Consumer Protection, Food

FDA Protects Public by Releasing Two Long-Delayed Food Safety Rules

Statement of Jennifer Kim, NJPIRG State Director, on the FDA’s proposed new rules for food safety.

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News Release | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center

New Report Shows Impact of Big Money in the 2012 Election

At a press conference marking the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s contentious Citizens United ruling, NJPIRG today presented Billion Dollar Democracy, a new report by the NJPIRG Law & Policy Center and Dēmos. NJPIRG and the New Jersey for the Overturn of Citizens United (NJOCU) coalition were joined by Liz Lempert, the mayor of Princeton.

 

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News Release | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Tax

Report Exposes How Taxpayers Bear Cost of Corporate Settlements

A report released today spotlights a common practice where corporations that commit wrongdoing and agree to financial settlements with the federal government, go on to claim such settlement payments as tax-deductible business expenses.

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News Release | NJPIRG | Health Care

Gov. Christie's Veto Means More Delays for Health Reform

Gov. Christie vetoed legislation today that would have created a health insurance exchange in New Jersey.

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Report | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Democracy

Outside Spending, Outsized Influence

The 2012 elections were by far the most expensive in history thanks primarily to the tidal wave of outside, special interest money triggered by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. The federal Senate and House races in New Jersey, where outside groups spent over $3 million, were no exception.

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Report | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Democracy

Elections Confidential

“Elections Confidential” describes how secret donors poured hundreds of millions into the 2012 election through “social welfare” non-profits that are really political vehicles and via shell corporations formed as conduits to hide a funder’s identity.

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Report | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Budget, Tax

Subsidizing Bad Behavior

BP’s recent $4.5 billion legal settlement with the Justice Department for its misdeeds in the Gulf oil spill was historic for being the largest ever criminal settlement. But it was historic for another reason as well—none of it is allowed to be tax deductible. Unfortunately, too many settlements for wrongdoing end up as tax deductions.

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Report | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Budget, 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. To put this sum in perspective, this factsheet provides examples of how it could be used.

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Report | NJPIRG Law & Policy Center | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland 2012

The 2012 Trouble in Toyland report is the 27th annual U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) survey of toy safety. In this report, U.S. PIRG 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. 

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Blog Post | Budget, Food

Farm Bill Still Giving Corporate Handouts to Big Ag | Jennifer Kim

The U.S. Senate passed its version of the 2012 Farm Bill, and clearly it is still business as usual. The Farm Bill continues its bad habit of subsidizing a few commodity crops like corn and soy to the tune of billions of dollars. Current subsidies go to the largest agribusinesses, with three quarters of the subsidy payments going to fewer than 4% of U.S. farmers.

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Blog Post | Tax

Letter from Congressman Frank Pallone on the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act | Gideon Weissman

Letter from Congressman Frank Pallone to NJPIRG, announcing that he will become a cosponsor of H.R. 2669, the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act.  This bill will close a tax loophole that costs the American public more than $100 billion every single year.  For more on NJPIRG's work on fair tax policy, see our tax issue page here: http://njpirg.org/topics/tax

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Blog Post | Democracy

Disempowered Bankers Start Super PAC, Reveal Plans for World Domination

While I am highly skeptical of the sentiment that "Congress is not afraid of bankers", given that banking lobbyists outnumber banking reform advocates 25-1 and that the Chairman of the Senate Financial Services Subcommittee seems to believe that "the banks own the place," the most ridiculous thing about members of the American Bankers Association's announcement of the industry's new Super PAC may be their willingness to reveal its strategy for skirting the non-coordination rules. This speaks volumes about how the industry thinks about its involvement in politics.

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Blog Post | Democracy

Making Super PACs Illegal | Gideon Weissman

Polling shows that almost 7 out of 10 voters believe that super PACs, the independent expenditure only committees created in the wake of the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United decision, should be illegal. Unfortunately, due to the Court’s backwards interpretation of the first amendment, we cannot legislate away super PACs today. However, there are some very important steps that every level of government – from your city council to the White House - should take right now to mitigate the impact of super PACs before the 2012 election.

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Blog Post | Financial Reform

Today, CFPB to announce overdraft fee investigation, unveil "penalty box" disclosure, possibly end $39 lattes.Ed MierzwinskiGideon Weissman

At a news conference in NYC today, Director Richard Cordray of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will announce a major investigation of bank overdraft fee practices and propose a model "penalty box" disclosure to appear on bank statements. The investigation could end the $39 latte-- $4 bucks for the coffee, $35 for the debit card overdraft fee.

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Tools & Resources

  • Protect N.J. From Toxic Accidents
    This accident in Paulsboro 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 taxpayers $100 billion last year. We're 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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  • 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 was a sobering reminder of the threat of toxic spills. Tell the EPA: Keep our communities safe from toxic accidents.

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