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Budget & Tax News
December 2007
'Operation Can Scam' Reveals Multimillion-Dollar Losses in Michigan
Michigan law enforcement officials say they have busted two crime rings that allegedly scammed the state out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in 10-cent ... (read more)
Michigan law enforcement officials say they have busted two crime rings that allegedly scammed the state out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in 10-cent ... (read more)
A Primer on the Economics of Carbon Taxes and Cap-and-Trade Systems
The two most prominently mentioned schemes for curtailing carbon dioxide emissions are carbon taxes and a cap-and-trade system. There are pros and cons ... (read more)
The two most prominently mentioned schemes for curtailing carbon dioxide emissions are carbon taxes and a cap-and-trade system. There are pros and cons ... (read more)
Bottled Drinking Water a New Tax Target in Chicago
The price of a bottle of water will climb at least 10 cents in Chicago if Mayor Richard M. Daley gets his way. Daley in October proposed a 10 cents a ... (read more)
The price of a bottle of water will climb at least 10 cents in Chicago if Mayor Richard M. Daley gets his way. Daley in October proposed a 10 cents a ... (read more)
Chicago, Cook County Businesses Fear Taxes to Come
News that Cook County, Illinois may more than triple its sales tax, and add more taxes after that, has rattled businesspeople throughout Chicago and the ... (read more)
News that Cook County, Illinois may more than triple its sales tax, and add more taxes after that, has rattled businesspeople throughout Chicago and the ... (read more)
Chicago-Area Transit Band-Aids Won't Stop the Bleeding
Hemorrhaging red ink, the Chicago-area mass transit system has avoided yet another threatened "doomsday" of fare increases and service cuts ... by borrowing ... (read more)
Hemorrhaging red ink, the Chicago-area mass transit system has avoided yet another threatened "doomsday" of fare increases and service cuts ... by borrowing ... (read more)
Cigarette Tax Rates Are Rising Faster than Revenues
Congress voted in late September to reauthorize and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), with $35 billion in new funding to come ... (read more)
Congress voted in late September to reauthorize and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), with $35 billion in new funding to come ... (read more)
Consumers Face New 'Net Taxes If Ban Expires
Beginning this fall U.S. consumers could face a slew of new Internet taxes unless Congress extends or makes permanent a federal ban that is set to expire ... (read more)
Beginning this fall U.S. consumers could face a slew of new Internet taxes unless Congress extends or makes permanent a federal ban that is set to expire ... (read more)
December 2007 Budget & Tax News (PDF)
The December 2007 issue of Budget & Tax News highlights tax hike proposals from Oregon through the Midwest to Washington, DC. On page 1: In the early ... (read more)
The December 2007 issue of Budget & Tax News highlights tax hike proposals from Oregon through the Midwest to Washington, DC. On page 1: In the early ... (read more)
Evolution of a Revolution
Ronald Reagan's Journey: Democrat to Republican By Edward M. Yager Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., June 2006 121 pages Cloth 0-7425-4420-6 / ... (read more)
Ronald Reagan's Journey: Democrat to Republican By Edward M. Yager Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., June 2006 121 pages Cloth 0-7425-4420-6 / ... (read more)
Facing Certain Defeat, Illinois County Board Stops Vote on Record Sales Tax
Shoppers and diners in Chicago and surrounding Cook County, Illinois received a temporary reprieve October 1 when the Cook County board delayed a vote to ... (read more)
Shoppers and diners in Chicago and surrounding Cook County, Illinois received a temporary reprieve October 1 when the Cook County board delayed a vote to ... (read more)
Highway Tolling Projects Enter the Mainstream
Highway tolling has entered the mainstream and has begun to influence local transportation decisions throughout the country. Some recent headlines tell ... (read more)
Highway tolling has entered the mainstream and has begun to influence local transportation decisions throughout the country. Some recent headlines tell ... (read more)
How Junk Science Is Used to Raise Taxes
Junk science--the deliberate representation of false or misleading information as credible scientific research--is a growing problem in a variety of public ... (read more)
Junk science--the deliberate representation of false or misleading information as credible scientific research--is a growing problem in a variety of public ... (read more)
Little Money Would Go to Kids' Health
Proponents of Measure 50, which would put a cigarette tax into the Oregon constitution to fund children's health insurance, contend the measure will boost ... (read more)
Proponents of Measure 50, which would put a cigarette tax into the Oregon constitution to fund children's health insurance, contend the measure will boost ... (read more)
Massachusetts Governor Hopes to Balance Budget with Casino Gambling
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has rolled the political and economic dice with a new plan to boost state government revenues. In September he announced ... (read more)
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has rolled the political and economic dice with a new plan to boost state government revenues. In September he announced ... (read more)
Michigan Legislature Approves Income Tax Hike, New Sales Tax
In the early morning hours of October 1, while Michigan's state government was officially in the process of shutting down for lack of a legal budget, a ... (read more)
In the early morning hours of October 1, while Michigan's state government was officially in the process of shutting down for lack of a legal budget, a ... (read more)
Oregon Budget Up 21 Percent
Opponents of an attempt to put a cigarette tax to pay for health insurance for children into the Oregon constitution say substantial budget growth should ... (read more)
Opponents of an attempt to put a cigarette tax to pay for health insurance for children into the Oregon constitution say substantial budget growth should ... (read more)
Oregon Voters May Put Cigarette Tax Hike into Constitution Permanently
Taxpayers in Oregon are faced with an unprecedented measure on the November 6 ballot. Measure 50 would permanently place a tobacco tax increase into the ... (read more)
Taxpayers in Oregon are faced with an unprecedented measure on the November 6 ballot. Measure 50 would permanently place a tobacco tax increase into the ... (read more)
Prevailing-Wage Policy Drives Up Costs in Kentucky
Prevailing-wage laws added 7 percent--nearly $137 million--to the cost of government construction projects in Kentucky in 2002, the latest year for which ... (read more)
Prevailing-wage laws added 7 percent--nearly $137 million--to the cost of government construction projects in Kentucky in 2002, the latest year for which ... (read more)
Public Policy World Shocked by Death of John Berthoud
On September 27 the public policy community lost one of its most brilliant and capable leaders when 45-year-old John Berthoud passed away unexpectedly due ... (read more)
On September 27 the public policy community lost one of its most brilliant and capable leaders when 45-year-old John Berthoud passed away unexpectedly due ... (read more)
State, Local Governments Are Eager to Tax the Internet
Since the federal Internet tax moratorium was first enacted nearly 10 years ago, local and state government officials have sought to retain the power and ... (read more)
Since the federal Internet tax moratorium was first enacted nearly 10 years ago, local and state government officials have sought to retain the power and ... (read more)
Teachers Want Political Independence from Union
Sixty-nine percent of teachers in Washington say funds for their union's political involvement should come from voluntary sources, not mandatory collective ... (read more)
Sixty-nine percent of teachers in Washington say funds for their union's political involvement should come from voluntary sources, not mandatory collective ... (read more)
Texas Scammed Out of $10 Million in Tobacco Revenue, Authorities Reveal
Five people may have cheated Texas out of more than $10 million in tobacco tax revenue, according to indictments alleging the accused were engaging in cigarette ... (read more)
Five people may have cheated Texas out of more than $10 million in tobacco tax revenue, according to indictments alleging the accused were engaging in cigarette ... (read more)
The Hazards of Government-Mandated Equality
Of all things, an indiscreet tampering with the trade of provisions is the most dangerous, and it is always worst in the time when men are most disposed ... (read more)
Of all things, an indiscreet tampering with the trade of provisions is the most dangerous, and it is always worst in the time when men are most disposed ... (read more)
Thurston County Commissioners Reject Car Tax Hike
In a welcome surprise for taxpayers in Washington State's Thurston County, county commissioners decided not to enact a $20 surcharge on top of the current ... (read more)
In a welcome surprise for taxpayers in Washington State's Thurston County, county commissioners decided not to enact a $20 surcharge on top of the current ... (read more)
Unions' 2006 Campaign Money Buys Legislative Attention for Big Labor
The State of Labor 2007 report by the Labor Policy Center of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation notes Big Labor's heavy investment in the Democratic Party's ... (read more)
The State of Labor 2007 report by the Labor Policy Center of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation notes Big Labor's heavy investment in the Democratic Party's ... (read more)