2009 September Budget & Tax News: Stadium Subsidies Continue
The September 2009 issue of Budget & Tax News opens with a report on state and local government subsidies to sports stadiums—a continuing pocketbook ... (
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Airport Privatization Can Fly Despite Midway Collapse
The failure of the proposed $2.5 billion lease of Chicago’s Midway Airport to reach a financial close this past April may be a setback for U.S. airport ... (
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Calif. IOUs Show Damage of Overspending
California began issuing IOUs in July because the state government cannot pay its bills. The IOUs are to mature in October and pay an annualized interest ... (
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Criticism of the Fed Grows as Obama Seeks More Powers
For most of his congressional career, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) has been trying to persuade lawmakers to support audits of the Federal Reserve, and until this ... (
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Florida’s Crist Breaks No New Taxes Pledge
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) has come under withering fire for violating a “no new taxes” pledge he made when he ran for governor in 2007.The ... (
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Government Keeps on Hiring, Adding to Private-Sector Burden
Even as millions of private-sector jobs have disappeared in the past year, government hiring continues to expand across the country, according to state ... (
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High-Speed Rail Is an Unprofitable Train Wreck
One of the most frequently mouthed claims about high-speed rail is that it is enormously profitable. Judging by the claims made by proponents, you might ... (
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Income Redistribution Is Key Part of Cap-and-Trade Bill
If the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade energy bill now in the Senate becomes law, we will have willingly created a situation where the United States experiences ... (
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Louisville Mayor Vetoes Prevailing-Wage Ordinance
Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson (D) uses his veto pen about as often as a Kentucky Derby winner ends up with the Triple Crown—almost never.The leading ... (
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Obama Backs Away from Union Transparency
The Obama administration appears to be backing away from the movement toward greater disclosure of union finances.In May the U.S. Department of Labor indicated ... (
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Online Retailers Drop More Affiliates Over Internet Taxes
Online retailers Amazon.com and Overstock.com recently dropped hundreds of affiliate advertisers in California, Hawaii, North Carolina, and Rhode Island ... (
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Private Bidders Interested in Buying Maryland Racetracks
Maryland taxpayers may be off the hook for two horse racing tracks owned by bankrupt Magna Entertainment Corp.The general assembly passed legislation earlier ... (
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San Francisco County Assessor’s Tax Proposal Draws Fire
San Francisco County Assessor Phil Ting (D) has launched a statewide effort to revise a provision of California’s Proposition 13, a state law voters ... (
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Stadium Subsidies Continue Despite Economic Downturn
From California to New York, taxpayers remain on the hook for billions of dollars in subsidies for stadium projects, even in the midst of the worst fiscal ... (
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States Struggle to Start Fiscal Year
With Fiscal Year 2010 for many states starting on July 1, many went down to the wire in passing their budgets. Here’s where things stood July 1:ArizonaAt ... (
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Surplus Lines Proposal Could Streamline Insurance Market
Regulatory reform could be on the horizon for the surplus lines insurance market, which provides coverage for hard-to-place risks not handled by standard ... (
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TaxSleuth Site Helps Wash. Track Cost of Government
Washington state’s confusing tax system includes some 1,800 taxing districts and approximately 3,300 tax code areas, not counting the many taxes imposed ... (
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Tenn. Public’s Anger Defeats Hidden Gas Tax
An outraged citizenry helped kill a proposed gasoline tax increase in Tennessee that had been slipped into an entirely unrelated measure.State Rep. Bill ... (
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Va. Taxpayers Fund Lobbying Against Property Rights
The 2009 General Assembly session brought wins and losses for property rights in Virginia. It also brought a twist, with local governments using taxpayer ... (
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