Yes, State Taxes Matter
A recent study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University found that, unsurprisingly, states with higher taxes have lower economic growth, even when controlling for a variety of factors...
View ArticleFinally! A Proposal That Would Foster Entrepreneurship in Texas
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is running for governor in this fall’s election, has proposed a measure that would eliminate occupational licensing for jobs that do not directly impact the...
View ArticleHeadlines That Are Not Screaming “Economic Recovery!”
Working Part Time – But Not by Choice (St. Louis Fed) 36 Percent of Adults Lack Retirement Savings, Including Many 65 or Older (Los Angeles Times) Five Years of Weak Wages (ABC News) From April to July...
View ArticleMore Evidence: Unemployment Benefits Hurt the Unemployed
In an earlier post, I highlighted a study from the Federal Reserve concluding that the extension of unemployment benefits through December 2013 may have prolonged unemployment. Several previous studies...
View ArticleLos Angeles Planning to Hike the Minimum Wage for Hotel Employees
Just when I thought the granola state could not get any nuttier, here comes a city-council approved plan (to be subject to a final procedural vote and the mayor’s signature), to hike the minimum wage...
View ArticleTax Inversions: A Clarion Call for Corporate Tax Reform
The U.S. Treasury Department issued new rules last month designed to make it more difficult for U.S. companies to strike “tax inversion” deals — transactions in which a U.S. company merges with a...
View ArticleIs Having a Job a Necessity or Simply an Option?
According to Josh Zumbrun in the Wall Street Journal, the improving economy is simply not enough to get people back into the labor force. Zumbrun features three “nagging indicator” charts showing that...
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Piketty Backtracks a Bit
Last year, French economist Thomas Piketty’s book on the causes of income inequality became the rallying cry by people on the left for a tax on the wealthy. However, many intelligent and thoughtful...
View ArticleMinimum Wage and the Quaint Little Diner
I had the pleasure of vacationing in southern Utah last week and spending time in a couple of their breathtaking national parks. I have been to several remote parts of the United States, but I have to...
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