
April 2, 2014
(Original Post) A new fact sheet from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy indicates Iowa is one of seven states where the gas tax rates are “stuck in neutral.” According to the institute’s analysis, 21 states have gone a decade or more without increasing their gas tax rates and 16 states have gone two […]
February 18, 2014
(Original Post) President Boren says constant reductions are harming higher education in the state. BY KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer | 0 comments University of Oklahoma President David Boren is decrying the governor’s proposal to again cut higher education funding and is urging Oklahoma residents to raise their voices to stop further reductions. He became […]
February 18, 2014
The average Oklahoman would get just $29 from Governor Mary Fallin’s proposed income tax cut, while one-quarter of the total benefit would go to the wealthiest 1 percent of households, according to a new analysis prepared by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). Read the Full Report
February 3, 2014
And in North Carolina, lawmakers and leaders of nonprofits fought a bitter battle last year over exemptions for nonprofits. Ultimately, HB 998 capped nonprofits’ sales tax refunds at $45 million and required them to begin collecting sales and use taxes on admission charges to entertainment activities. Their property, income, and payroll tax exemptions were […]
December 2, 2013
(Original Post) Raul Reyes, USATODAY 7:12 p.m. EST November 26, 2013 If he signs bill, undocumented high school grads would be able to pay in-state tuition. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is a lawmaker who plays by his own rules. The iconoclastic Republican was not afraid to buck his party by standing with Democratic President […]
November 21, 2013
(Original Post) By Tom Lyons Published: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 5:08 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 5:08 p.m. Ironic is the kindest description I can think of for the way Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Barbetta is blaming Randall Reid for a consultant’s report all agree was an embarrassing waste of time […]
October 15, 2013
By RACHAEL BADE | 10/14/13 11:03 PM EDT Four decades ago at the Washington Hotel, a quirky economist made a pitch on the back of a napkin to Ford administration officials Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld: Cutting taxes would create an economic boom. Back then, many Republicans opposed tax cuts, but that famous “Laffer […]
August 21, 2013
A study by the Joint Economic Committee of the Congress found in the 1970s that state taxes were one of the least driving factors in business location decisions, in part because state taxes could be written off on Federal taxes. Quality of life factors were seen as far more important. The Tax Foundation, set up in the 1930s to combat rising taxes under the New Deal, estimated in a 2006 study of businesses in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific that taxes accounted for 7 to 13 percent of business cost in manufacturing, and just 3 to 7 percent in…
August 2, 2013
The correlation between states having no income tax and their economic growth is not as direct as Reagan White House economic adviser Arthur Laffer says it is, argues tax economist Joel Slemrod.
August 1, 2013
In this 2012 Making Sen$e report, former Reagan White House economic adviser Arthur Laffer drew his famous curve on a napkin -- just the way he did for the Ford administration -- and explained how it works.
August 1, 2013
One back-to-school ritual designed to boost consumption will occur this weekend starting Saturday (Aug. 3) and ending Sunday (Aug. 4), as consumers may take advantage of a statewide tax-free holiday.
July 22, 2013
Many states with back-to-school sales tax “holidays” are expanding them to cover almost any purchase, in addition to the usual kids’ clothing, shoes, books and school supplies. As schools and students replace ink and paper with pixels, some states are expanding their holidays to cover sales taxes on low-cost computers and tablets. These electronics […]
July 10, 2013
(Original Post) By Elaine S. Povich, Staff Writer A crowd of about 100 line up outside of the Apple Store in the Saddle Creek shopping center in Germantown, Tenn., to get a head start on last year’s tax free weekend. (AP) Many states with back-to-school sales tax “holidays” are expanding them to cover almost […]
July 8, 2013
Steve Flowers Inside the Statehouse A recent survey rated Alabama as the most conservative state in the Union. More than half of our residents describe themselves as politically conservative. The poll was done by the vaunted Princeton, New Jersey Gallup polling firm. Four of our sister states, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana and Arkansas, also […]
May 17, 2013
A proposal to eliminate Virginia’s top individual income tax rate would overwhelmingly benefit the state’s wealthiest residents, who already spend far less of their household budgets on state and local taxes than any other group. Nearly 40 percent of Virginia taxpayers would see no reduction in their taxes under the plan and most of the […]
May 16, 2013
(Original Post) The plan to reduce Oklahoma’s income tax from 5.25 percent to 5.00 beginning in 2015 is a done deal. We know it means losing $200 million from state revenues that could have gone to hire more teachers and properly fund public safety so that we have enough troopers on the road and ensure […]
May 6, 2013
(Original Post) published Sunday, May 5th, 2013 by Tim Omarzu A group of Republican lawmakers in Atlanta wants to do away with Georgia’s 6 percent income tax and replace it — mainly by increasing taxes on sales and services. State Rep. Tom Kirby, R-Loganville, set the stage for what could be a sweeping change to […]
April 26, 2013
An income tax cut deal has been reached between Governor Fallin and Legislative leadership. The proposal is moving through the Legislature as HB 2032. This fact sheet explains what’s in the latest deal and how it will affect Oklahomans. Read the Full Report
April 22, 2013
(Original Post) The price of gasoline is constantly on people’s minds. The prices you see on those gas-station signs everywhere you drive are tough enough to swallow, but what you may not know is the extent to which gas taxes contribute to those prices. The federal tax is $0.184 per gallon, and states add their […]
April 15, 2013
(Original Post) Posted: 04/13/2013 By: Max Resnik TULSA – According to the non-partisan, non-profit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the proposed income tax cut currently being discussed by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and legislative leaders would add little cash to the pockets of Oklahomans. Much of the discussion has involved reducing the income tax […]
April 2, 2013
(Original Post) 2:07 pm – March 26, 2013 — Updated: 12:14 am – March 27, 2013 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau [email protected] LITTLE ROCK — A proposed $57 million state income tax cut cleared a House panel Tuesday. House Bill 1585 by Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, received a “do pass” recommendation from the House […]
March 29, 2013
(Original Post) In the past three years, states and cities have brought in billions of dollars in additional user fees. But there are pitfalls to this form of revenue boost. BY: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene | April 2013 The political debate that pits the desire to generate new revenues against the drive to cut […]
March 20, 2013
(Original Post) Posted by Dylan Matthews on March 20, 2013 at 11:45 am Most conservative policymakers at the federal level just want to sharply reduce the income tax, not eliminate it entirely. But more and more Republican-controlled states are deciding to go big or go home. So far, Govs. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), Dave Heineman (R-NE), […]
March 1, 2013
(Original Post) Meteor Blades for Daily Kos Economics Across the South and Midwest—in Georgia, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Louisiana, Indiana, Kansas and elsewhere—Republican-dominated states seek to eliminate income taxes and replace part of them with regressive sales taxes. Thus would be the tax burden be shifted to people in the lower earning tiers of the economy […]
March 1, 2013
(Original Post) By Bonnie Kavoussi Posted: 02/28/2013 5:47 pm EST | Updated: 03/01/2013 12:21 am EST Small-government advocates often claim that high taxes hold the economy back. But a new report finds that states without a personal income tax have experienced slower economic growth than states with high income tax rates. The report, from the […]