Archives: Cronyism / Articles
Archives: Cronyism / Articles (page 6)
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State Tax Cuts Indicate Emphasis on Economic Growth
The 2013 legislative session saw a strong trend of states cutting various taxes, as 18 states passed net tax cuts into law. When one-third of the country cuts taxes, it…
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New Report Outlines Tax Burdens By State
According to the Tax Foundation’s Annual State-Local Tax Burdens Ranking report, Americans paid 9.8 percent of their collective income in state and local taxes in fiscal year 2011. The…
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The joke’s on them: High-ranked states in ‘Rich States, Poor States’ perform better
This appeared on the Daily Caller April 16, 2014. The 7th edition of Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index was released yesterday and has received attention…
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Taxes, Migration, and Economic Evidence
While certainly not the only factor affecting whether Americans move from one state to another, taxes play a significant role in the equation, even if it is most significantly an…
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Michigan rejoins U.S. economy
This appeared on The Detroit News on May 15, 2014. For most of the last decade, Michigan has unquestionably had the worst performing state economy.
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Taxes Do Matter to Migration
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) recently released a new study that purports to show that state taxes have a negligible effect on the decisions of Americans to…
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Top 10 RSPS States Outperform Others
The 7th edition of Rich States, Poor States was recently released on Tax Day (April 15), and, as with previous years, numerous critics of free markets, limited governments, reasonable…
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Revenue Shortfalls and Debt Downgrades in Kansas
Kansas policymakers were recently hit with two pieces of bad news: a state bond downgrade by Moody’s investors and lower than expected income tax revenues. Opponents of Kansas tax reform…
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Missouri Lawmakers Override Governor’s Veto, Choose Economic Growth
Yesterday, the Missouri House of Representatives voted to override the veto of Governor Jay Nixon and enact broad based tax cuts for the citizens of Missouri for the first…
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New 2014 Rich States, Poor States Rankings Show States Are Making Large Reforms
Since 2008, Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index has used the latest economic data to determine which states are doing well and which states are struggling. The…
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Financial Ready Idaho
States are increasing their dependence on federal funds at a time when the federal government is facing difficult fiscal challenges. According to the nonpartisan fiscal watchdog group, State…
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Kansas Supreme Court Usurps Legislature’s Authority
In most states, elected officials, usually state legislators, are responsible for assessing what education funding in the state should be and will be. Recently, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled…
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Tax Reform and Pension Reform
This appeared on PublicSectorInc.Org on March 11, 2014. Congressman Dave Camp’s recently released tax reform draft has stimulated a much-needed national conversation about the U.S. tax code, attracting …
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Pension Expert: Local Pennsylvania Downgrades Lurk
With new accounting rules looming, states and municipalities are beginning to realize that their unfunded pension liabilities are much more severe than they had previously estimated. Defined-benefit pension plans, the…
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Tennessee Considers Eliminating Hall Tax
Tennessee policymakers are considering the repeal or “localization” of the Hall Tax, a tax on investment income (interest, dividends, and capital gains). The legislature is correct to consider this a…
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Attacking Consumer Choices through the Tax Code
Last week, a bill was introduced but never heard in the Washington State Senate that considered a proposal to tax electronic cigarettes at 95 percent of their cost; the…
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New Report Reveals Level of Federal Aid to the States and Importance of Fiscal Federalism
By: William Freeland, Kati Siconolfi, and Steven Johnson In the face of a stagnating economy and national debt topping $17 trillion, many policymakers in Washington, D.C. are seeking ways…
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Pension Interview with Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association
Jonathan Williams, Director of ALEC’s Center for State Fiscal Reform, was a recent guest on the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association show, PMA Perspectives, broadcast statewide on PCN. During the show, he…
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Reforming the Federal Corporate Tax and Individual Income Tax: A Step in the Right Direction
Earlier today U.S. Representative Dave Camp, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, released a bill designed to fundamentally reform both the federal corporate and individual income tax (press…
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An Examination of State Tax Instruments
All states need to collect revenue if they are to fund the necessary government services that they must provide. While it can be argued what does and does not belong…