Statement to the Corporate Tax Code Commission urging support for the closing of the tax loopholes which Governor Patrick filed earlier this year.

Today, the House Finance Committee held a hearing on “combined reporting”, an accounting reform that would prevent multi-state companies from shifting profits to out-of-state subsidiaries as a way to avoid Pennsylvania taxes. Reform would close loopholes used by out-of-state businesses to avoid state taxes; expert testifies that growing national practice could ease burden on many businesses and residents.

The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a comprehensive identity theft protection bill today that gives consumers the ability to “freeze” their credit reports to stop would-be thieves from opening credit in their name, and requires businesses and government agencies to notify consumers if enough of their personal information that could be used to commit identity theft is lost or stolen.

The Texas Legislature should combat identity theft by approving Senate Bill 222, filed by Senator Rodney Ellis.

Today, Governor Granholm signed into law a bill that will help prevent what continues to be the fastest growing crime in America – identity theft.

Consumer Privacy Must Be Protected from Digital Commercial Shadowing Privacy Violations Demand an Injunction Against Microsoft and Others

In response to the massive security breach earlier this month in which someone stole the Social Security numbers of 26.5 million veterans, NCPIRG is working with North Carolina State Representative Bruce Goforth and State Senator Daniel Clodfelter to allow veterans to put a freeze on their credit free of charge. Rep. Goforth will introduce legislation early next week in the House of Representatives.

A leading consumer organization that has documented credit report errors and identity theft problems announced today that consumers in the Northeast will soon have new tools to fight these problems under a federal law taking effect in 14 Northeastern states.

States have been responding to the recent rash of security breaches by passing strong identity theft protections.

A number of colleges in Maryland continue to allow aggressive marketing to students, including tables offering free gifts for applying for a credit card, in spite of concerns over the last few years about aggressive credit card marketing to college students. In addition, credit card vendors are setting up tables on campuses in direct violation of university policies and education provided to students about the proper use of credit cards is inadequate, according to a new report released today by the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition and the Maryland Public Interest Research Group (Maryland PIRG).

The only state or federal public agencies with authority to terminate accounting licenses are overwhelmingly controlled by the accountants they regulate, with 80 percent of all seats held by accountants, according to a 50-state report released today by U.S. PIRG.

Opponents of an amendment to the Senate Energy bill to end regulatory exemptions for energy derivatives trading that helped Enron inflate its balance sheet and hide its debt have spent $46 million lobbying Congress since 2000 and made campaign contributions of more than $2.7 million in hard and soft money in the 2000 and 2002 cycles, according to a new report by the Enron Watchdog campaign of the state Public Interest Research Groups.

Consumers could save at least $75 each year by banking at a small bank or credit union instead of a big bank, according to a national report released today by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the national lobbying office for state PIRGs.

Five years after ATM owners began imposing ATM surcharges on non-customers, a new national survey finds that the cost of using another bank's ATM machine has nearly tripled, from $1.01 before surcharging to $2.86 today.

Payday lenders charge consumers interest rates of 300% or more and are stepping up lobbying efforts to weaken state laws preventing usury, according to a new report released today by U.S. Public Interest Research Group and the Consumer Federation of America.