Budget & Tax News
The Heartland Institute's national monthly outreach publication for advocates of lower taxes, balanced budgets, and limited government.
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Budget & Tax News
July 2005
'Nickle-and-Diming People to Death'
The Troy Record in New York published an editorial on May 12 against Detroit's proposed fast-food tax, noting, "Cash-strapped states and municipalities ... (read more)
The Troy Record in New York published an editorial on May 12 against Detroit's proposed fast-food tax, noting, "Cash-strapped states and municipalities ... (read more)
'Tax Swap' Backers Lose in Illinois, Promise to Return
The perennial effort to shift the burden of funding education to the state income tax and away from local property taxes again failed in the Illinois General ... (read more)
The perennial effort to shift the burden of funding education to the state income tax and away from local property taxes again failed in the Illinois General ... (read more)
An End to Sports Welfare?
When Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones asked Arlington, Texas voters to pay for a new stadium last November, he did not call the classic plays from the sports ... (read more)
When Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones asked Arlington, Texas voters to pay for a new stadium last November, he did not call the classic plays from the sports ... (read more)
Analysis: In Defense of Colorado Taxpayer's Bill of Rights
Opponents of Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) are waging a well-coordinated but misleading attack on the state's reputation. This attack takes ... (read more)
Opponents of Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) are waging a well-coordinated but misleading attack on the state's reputation. This attack takes ... (read more)
Bloomington Newspaper Slams Schools for Abusing Tort Tax
The Bloomington Pantagraph on May 15 published an editorial in response to the Illinois Business RoundTable study of the use of tort immunity taxes to fund ... (read more)
The Bloomington Pantagraph on May 15 published an editorial in response to the Illinois Business RoundTable study of the use of tort immunity taxes to fund ... (read more)
Consumers Win with Direct Shipping
The main argument against direct shipping of wine was that it promotes underage drinking. A 2003 study by the Federal Trade Commission found no evidence ... (read more)
The main argument against direct shipping of wine was that it promotes underage drinking. A 2003 study by the Federal Trade Commission found no evidence ... (read more)
Corruption Plagues Homeland Security Department
The U.S. Homeland Security Department has been hit with a string of embarrassing internal reports of incompetence and corruption, the most recent of which ... (read more)
The U.S. Homeland Security Department has been hit with a string of embarrassing internal reports of incompetence and corruption, the most recent of which ... (read more)
County Claims Bengals Cheated Taxpayers
The Cincinnati Bengals case, Hamilton County v. Cincinnati Bengals Inc., is simpler than Kelo. Hamilton County commissioners claim the team for which they ... (read more)
The Cincinnati Bengals case, Hamilton County v. Cincinnati Bengals Inc., is simpler than Kelo. Hamilton County commissioners claim the team for which they ... (read more)
Critics Can't Stomach Detroit Mayor's Fast-Food Tax Proposal
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has proposed a 2 percent tax on fast-food purchases, alarming critics who say it would fall mainly on low- and middle-income ... (read more)
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has proposed a 2 percent tax on fast-food purchases, alarming critics who say it would fall mainly on low- and middle-income ... (read more)
Detroit Mayor Abuses City Credit Cards
Spa visits, stays in luxury hotel suites, an $850 steak dinner, and four nights of hotel room rentals for the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans are among more ... (read more)
Spa visits, stays in luxury hotel suites, an $850 steak dinner, and four nights of hotel room rentals for the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans are among more ... (read more)
Examples of 'Emergency' Legislation
Washington State legislators this spring attached emergency clauses to nearly 200 bills and enacted 98 of them. Here are samples of "emergency" legislation, ... (read more)
Washington State legislators this spring attached emergency clauses to nearly 200 bills and enacted 98 of them. Here are samples of "emergency" legislation, ... (read more)
Financial Crisis, Felony Violations Rock San Diego
Six current and former officials of San Diego's nearly bankrupt pension fund have been charged with felony violations of California's conflict-of-interest ... (read more)
Six current and former officials of San Diego's nearly bankrupt pension fund have been charged with felony violations of California's conflict-of-interest ... (read more)
Illinois Dodges Cigarette Tax Hike
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's (D) FY 2006 budget tacitly admitted anti-tax activists were correct last year in predicting cigarette tax increases would ... (read more)
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's (D) FY 2006 budget tacitly admitted anti-tax activists were correct last year in predicting cigarette tax increases would ... (read more)
Illinois Schools Use Hidden Tax to Evade Property Tax Caps
Hundreds of school districts across Illinois have sharply increased a special tax that is meant to pay for legal claims and insurance expenses, some of ... (read more)
Hundreds of school districts across Illinois have sharply increased a special tax that is meant to pay for legal claims and insurance expenses, some of ... (read more)
Jones' Subsidy Could Reach $1.2 BillionJones' Subsidy Could Reach $1.2 Billion
The stadium deal for Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys is weighted heavily on the side of the team. The Cowboys emphasized during the tax initiative ... (read more)
The stadium deal for Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys is weighted heavily on the side of the team. The Cowboys emphasized during the tax initiative ... (read more)
July 2005 Budget & Tax News (PDF)
The July 2005 issue of Budget & Tax News addresses the possibility that two lawsuits--the Kelo decision pending before the U.S. Supreme Court and a district ... (read more)
The July 2005 issue of Budget & Tax News addresses the possibility that two lawsuits--the Kelo decision pending before the U.S. Supreme Court and a district ... (read more)
Kelo Could Ban Takings for Stadiums
Technically, the eminent domain case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Kelo v. New London, has nothing to do with sports. But sports teams have long used eminent ... (read more)
Technically, the eminent domain case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Kelo v. New London, has nothing to do with sports. But sports teams have long used eminent ... (read more)
L.A. Gets $17 Million Homeless Shelter
A $17 million shelter for the homeless that recently opened in Los Angeles has been drawing sharp criticism from advocates for the homeless. Midnight ... (read more)
A $17 million shelter for the homeless that recently opened in Los Angeles has been drawing sharp criticism from advocates for the homeless. Midnight ... (read more)
Politician Lives Large at Taxpayer Expense
Here are some examples of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's personal spending with the city's charge card since he was elected in 2001. The information was ... (read more)
Here are some examples of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's personal spending with the city's charge card since he was elected in 2001. The information was ... (read more)
Private Airport Screeners Outperform Government Counterparts
Privately employed airport screeners do a better job than government airport screeners, according to a recent U.S. government report, prompting a key lawmaker ... (read more)
Privately employed airport screeners do a better job than government airport screeners, according to a recent U.S. government report, prompting a key lawmaker ... (read more)
Private Firm to Provide Indiana Prison Meals
Indiana has hired a private company to serve meals to the state's prison inmates, a move Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) said will save taxpayers about $11.5 million ... (read more)
Indiana has hired a private company to serve meals to the state's prison inmates, a move Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) said will save taxpayers about $11.5 million ... (read more)
Rare Coins Scandal Rocks Ohio
Up to $13 million of rare coins owned by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation have gone missing and a huge investment loss last year went unreported, ... (read more)
Up to $13 million of rare coins owned by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation have gone missing and a huge investment loss last year went unreported, ... (read more)
Research on the Economics of Sports Stadiums
"Sports Stadium Madness: Why It Started, How to Stop It" Joseph L. Bast February 1998 http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=9505 "Should Congress ... (read more)
"Sports Stadium Madness: Why It Started, How to Stop It" Joseph L. Bast February 1998 http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=9505 "Should Congress ... (read more)
Social Security Insolvency Accelerating, Study Says
The recent annual report issued by the Social Security Board of Trustees demonstrates with undeniable clarity that Social Security faces a looming financial ... (read more)
The recent annual report issued by the Social Security Board of Trustees demonstrates with undeniable clarity that Social Security faces a looming financial ... (read more)
South Carolina Lawmakers Restore 147 of 163 Budget Cuts
South Carolina's Republican governor tried to hold down state spending in May, vetoing 163 items totaling $96 million from the FY 2006 budget ... but Republican ... (read more)
South Carolina's Republican governor tried to hold down state spending in May, vetoing 163 items totaling $96 million from the FY 2006 budget ... but Republican ... (read more)
State Constitution Fuels 'Tax Swap' Debates
The Illinois State Constitution has been the source of arguments over school funding in Illinois for decades. Proponents of increased state funding of ... (read more)
The Illinois State Constitution has been the source of arguments over school funding in Illinois for decades. Proponents of increased state funding of ... (read more)
Supreme Court Uncorks Interstate Wine Sales
The United States Supreme Court on May 13 rendered a decision that ended a legacy of Prohibition and is likely to expand prospects for the direct shipping ... (read more)
The United States Supreme Court on May 13 rendered a decision that ended a legacy of Prohibition and is likely to expand prospects for the direct shipping ... (read more)
TABOR Summit Generates State Action Plans
Nearly 70 public policy leaders, activists, and scholars met in Richmond, Virginia on June 8-9 for a two-day summit to discuss the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights ... (read more)
Nearly 70 public policy leaders, activists, and scholars met in Richmond, Virginia on June 8-9 for a two-day summit to discuss the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights ... (read more)
Telecom Investment Obstacles Must Come Down, Armey Tells Forum
Former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey issued an unambiguous warning to Michigan and other states with punishing tax rates and regulations: Until ... (read more)
Former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey issued an unambiguous warning to Michigan and other states with punishing tax rates and regulations: Until ... (read more)
Washington State Sued for Overturning Tax Cap
The State of Washington is being sued by a coalition of grassroots organizations for overturning a voter-approved initiative that limited the state's power ... (read more)
The State of Washington is being sued by a coalition of grassroots organizations for overturning a voter-approved initiative that limited the state's power ... (read more)
Where's the Emergency?
The Washington state legislature's intentional use of emergency clauses to avoid citizen initiatives became clear in the following exchange between State ... (read more)
The Washington state legislature's intentional use of emergency clauses to avoid citizen initiatives became clear in the following exchange between State ... (read more)
