by Dan Mitchell | Jul 14, 2018 | Blogs, States, Taxation
The best budget rule in the United States is Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Known as TABOR, this provision in the state’s constitution says revenues can’t grow faster than population plus inflation. Any revenue greater than that amount must be returned to...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 2, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Taxation
New Jersey is a fiscal disaster area. It’s in last place in the Tax Foundation’s index that measures a state’s business tax climate. It’s tied for last place in the Mercatus Center’s ranking of state fiscal conditions. And it ranks in the bottom-10 in measures...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 13, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, States
A balanced budget requirement is neither necessary nor sufficient for good fiscal policy. If you want proof for that assertion, check out states such as Illinois, California, and New Jersey. They all have provisions to limit red ink, yet there is more spending (and...
by Dan Mitchell | May 13, 2018 | Blogs, Tax Competition, Taxation
Even though I wrote about proposed tax increases in Illinois just 10 days ago, it’s time to revisit the issue because the Tax Foundation just published a very informative article about the state’s self-destructive fiscal policy. It starts by noting that the aggregate...
by Dan Mitchell | May 3, 2018 | Blogs, Taxation
When I did a poll earlier this year, asking which state would be the first to suffer a fiscal crisis, I wasn’t terribly surprised that Illinois wound up in first place. But I was surprised by the margin. Even though there’s a good case to be made for basket-case...
