Budget & Taxes Gas Tax Hike Coming to CA? Raising prices at the gas pump is a risky proposition in California, where cars have always been king. In fact the state is one of only a few in the nation that haven’t raised gas taxes since the... Read More
Budget & Taxes Pension Reforms Struck Down In States Twice in two weeks courts have rejected state pension reform laws. On April 30, Oregon’s Supreme Court ruled that the reductions the state made to cost-of-living adjustments in 2013... Read More
Budget & Taxes Budget Surplus Surge In CA With the state’s economy continuing to improve, California lawmakers were expecting a budget surplus this year of about $2 billion. But last week Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D) announced that... Read More
Budget & Taxes UT’s Gas Tax Hike Strategy Nearly every state in the nation is struggling to maintain its aging transportation system. But Utah is one of just seven states (the others are Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and... Read More
Budget & Taxes Transportation Funding Crisis Breeds Self-Reliance In States The transportation funding crisis in the states is continuing to worsen. At least six states -- Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Montana, Tennessee, and Wyoming -- have... Read More
Budget & Taxes Changing Economics of Recycling Could Soon Impact States For years recycling programs have allowed cities, counties and states to improve the environment while saving money on landfill fees and even making money from the sale... Read More
Budget & Taxes WV Ends Session Without Budget The last day of West Virginia’s 2016 regular session on March 12 didn’t resemble the frenzied pace of past final days due to the front loading of this year’s session with major... Read More
Budget & Taxes Denver to Consider Local Tax for Higher Ed A measure bound for Denver, Colorado’s Nov. 3 ballot would raise the city’s sales tax to help local college students cover the rising cost of their tuition. Supporters of... Read More
Budget & Taxes SANDY'S ECONOMIC TOLL COULD TOP $20B: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), whose state was among those hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy, said last week that the damage from the storm was going to be "almost incalculable."... Read More
Budget & Taxes HARRISBURG HEARINGS REVEAL FISCAL PROBLEMS BUT NOT CONSENSUS: Six hours of testimony this month failed to produce any consensus on what caused the financial crisis that has gripped Pennsylvania's capital city. But the first... Read More
Budget & Taxes WV COMMITS TO PAYING DOWN PENSION DEBT: West Virginia's unfunded pension liability - estimated at $10 billion last year - is one of the highest per capita in the nation. But the state became a standout on the issue in a very... Read More
Budget & Taxes SANDY'S ECONOMIC TOLL COULD TOP $20B: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), whose state was among those hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy, said last week that the damage from the storm was going to be "almost incalculable... Read More
. . . . (1) Get conservatives to recognize tax expenditures as government spending. Relabel "tax expenditures." Call them "tax earmarks." . . . (2) Get conservatives to recognize base broadening as an alternative to a VAT. .... Read More