Ten Principles of State Fiscal Policy

Published June 15, 2006

In June 2006, The Heartland Institute released the second booklet in its Legislative Principles Series, this one titled Ten Principles of State Fiscal Policy.

“Sound fiscal principles promote economic growth, protect citizens from uncertainty and excessive taxation, and help lawmakers deal with tough economic times,” explain the booklet’s authors, Heartland President Joseph L. Bast, Budget & Tax News Managing Editor Steve Stanek, and Heartland Policy Advisor economist Richard Vedder.

The booklet provides policymakers and civic and business leaders with a highly condensed yet easy-to-read guide to state fiscal policy matters. It presents the 10 most important principles of sound fiscal policy, from “Above all else: Keep taxes low” to “Protect state employees from politics.” The booklet also contains an extensive bibliography for further research, including many links to documents available on the Web, and a directory of the Web sites of national organizations that support sound fiscal policy.

More than 20,000 copies of the booklet were “polybagged” with the July issue of Budget & Tax News, reaching all state and federal elected officials, roughly 8,400 local elected officials, and thousands of reporters, syndicated columnists, think tanks, advocacy groups, and civic organizations.