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News Release | Budget, Tax

Taxpayer Subsidies for Junk Food Wasting Billions

Federal subsidies for commodity crops are also subsidizing junk food additives like high fructose corn syrup, enough to pay for 19 Twinkies per taxpayer every year, according to Apples to Twinkies, a new report by Maryland PIRG.   Meanwhile, limited subsidies for fresh fruits and vegetables would buy less than a quarter of an apple per taxpayer.

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Report | Budget, Tax

Toward Common Ground

To break through the ideological divide that has dominated Washington this past year and offer a pathway to address the nation’s fiscal problems, the National Taxpayer Union and U.S. PIRG joined together to identify mutually acceptable deficit reduction.

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News Release | Budget, Tax

Unlikely Allies Uncover $1 Trillion in Savings for Super Committee

As the Congressional “Super Committee” begins its search for $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction, a new study released today by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) and the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) provides the panel with a great place to start: more than $1 trillion of spending cuts with appeal from across the political spectrum.

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News Release | Consumer Protection, Financial Reform

New Consumer Agency Takes Over Thursday as Nation’s Consumer Bank Cop

Leading consumer groups today announced the results of a poll showing that an overwhelming majority of likely voters both support a new consumer agency (74%) and want Wall Street held “accountable” (77%), along with a report documenting “10 reasons” consumers need the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

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Report | Consumer Protection, Financial Reform

10 Reasons We Need the CFPB Now

For years leading up to the 2008 financial collapse, federal bank regulators ignored numerous warnings of increasingly predatory mortgage practices, credit card tricks and unfair overdraft policies used by banks. This report outlines predatory financial practices that hurt consumers and helped collapse the economy, costing us eight million jobs, millions of foreclosed homes and trillions of dollars in lost home and retirement values. It explains these and other emerging problems as “10 Reasons We Need The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Now.”

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News Release | Consumer Protection

Retailers Misleading Consumers on the Digital TV Transition

In one year, 22 million Americans who rely on free over-the-air analog broadcasting – including many elderly and other vulnerable populations – will be at risk of losing access to TV, which for many is a primary source of news and emergency information as well as entertainment.

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News Release | Consumer Protection

Baby Bottles Leach Toxic Chemical

Dozens of state and national environmental health organizations in the U.S. and Canada are calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles and other food and beverage containers, based on the results of a new study that demonstrates the toxic chemical BPA leaches from popular plastic baby bottles when heated.

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News Release | Consumer Protection

Protection from Identity Theft

When the ball drops on Dec 31st, Maryland consumers will gain a new tool to stop identity theft. Thanks to a new state law, Marylanders will have the ability to place a security freeze on their credit reports to block thieves from opening fraudulent new credit accounts in the victim’s name.

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News Release | Budget

Failure to Close Tax Loopholes Harms Maryland Businesses

We are disappointed that the Maryland General Assembly did not take action to close corporate tax loopholes during the special session.

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News Release | Budget, Democracy, Financial Reform

Fraud, Failure No Deterrent to Federal Contract Awards

Companies with immediate past histories of shoddy work and fraudulent practices still receive billions of dollars in federal contracts, according to a new report by the Maryland PIRG Foundation.

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Tools & Resources

  • FIGHT HIGH Rx COSTS
    Prescription drugs cost too much. Brand-name drug companies have been paying off generic drug makers to delay competition and keep prices high, and it's costing us billions. Together, we can stop them.
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  • HELP STOP THE LITTER
    Maryland throws away 3 billion recyclable beverage containers a year. Help us pass a Bottle Bill to increase recycling and reduce litter.
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    Add your voice
  • STOP TAX DODGERS
    Corporate tax avoidance cost Marylanders as much as $2 billion last year. We're working to close the loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying the taxes they owe.
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    Sign the petition
  • Growing Up Toxic
    A growing body of research demonstrates the link between toxic chemicals and serious health burdens, including cancer and learning disabilities, especially in young children.
    Learn more
    Get the report

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