by Dan Mitchell | Oct 21, 2020 | Blogs, Economics, States
Back in July, I wrote a three-part series designed to identify the states with the greediest politicians. Part I was based on the top income tax rate in each state. Part II was based on the sales tax rate in each state. Part III was based on the burden of government...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 17, 2020 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, States
One of the problems with state balanced budget requirements is that tax revenues are very sensitive to economic conditions. Boom Years: When there’s robust economic growth, politicians collect unanticipated revenue because more people have good jobs and more...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 13, 2020 | Blogs, Economics
I’ve written favorably about the pro-growth policies of low-tax states such as Texas, Florida, and Tennessee, while criticizing the anti-growth policies of high-tax states such as Illinois, California, and New York. Does that mean we should conclude that “red states”...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 7, 2020 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
According to the Fraser Institute’s calculations of overall economic freedom, Delaware apparently has the worst politicians and New Hampshire has the best ones. According to comprehensive estimates of economic liberty in Freedom in the 50 States, New York’s...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 21, 2020 | Big Government, Blogs, States, Taxation
If you’re a curmudgeonly libertarian like me, you don’t like big government because it impinges on individual liberty. Most people, however, get irked with government for the practical reason that it costs so much and fails to provide decent services. California is...
