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Archives: Business / Articles (page 2)
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State Legislator of the Month – AZ Rep. Shawnna Bolick
For the month of November, we are pleased to announce Arizona Representative Shawnna Bolick as the ALEC-FreedomWorks State Legislator of the Month. This award is used to highlight substantive state…
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Statement on Stephen Moore’s Selection to Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors
WASHINGTON, D.C. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) commends and supports Stephen Moore’s selection to the Federal Reserve’s board of governors. As a champion for market-driven solutions and an expert…
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Congress to Stop States from Making Their Own Bets?
In 1992, Congress enacted the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) that effectively prevented any state from legalizing sports gambling unless the state had already legalized it.
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Seattle Learned There’s No Brain Behind a Head Tax
In May, Seattle, Washington, enacted an employment head tax on large firms but then abruptly repealed the tax just weeks later after an alliance of businesses and labor unions voiced…
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Janus v. AFSCME: “Let Me Out”
In an upcoming US Supreme Court decision, Janus v. AFSCME will once again put the issue of union fees, as a condition of employment, back on the table. If Mark…
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Bold Tax Relief and Pension Reform Agenda Earns South Carolina Governor McMaster Best of the Best Recognition
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is one of five U.S. governors with economic policy proposals qualifying as “Best of the Best” based on his 2018 State of the State address.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf’s Calls for Progress with “a Push”
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s Budget Address contained a strong undercurrent of authoritarianism. Progress, as defined by the governor’s dictionary, can sometimes “require a push.” Agenda items within the speech reveal…
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Governor Malloy Redefines “Fair”
In his final state of the state address, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy sidestepped the majority of the fiscal and economic issues plaguing the state in favor of paying lip service…
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Online Sales Tax: Crushing Small Business
Hardworking individual and business taxpayers deserve protection from out-of-state tax collectors and regulators. The United States Constitution, as well as subsequent rulings from the United States Supreme Court, such as…
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State Legislator Letter: State and local officials across the country are resisting calls to allow aggressive taxation across state borders
As state legislators, we oppose the attempts to overturn constitutional precedent safeguarding Congress’s essential authority to protect interstate commerce from discriminatory regulation and taxation. As a result, commerce…
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The Rest of the Story: Right-to-Work Could Spur Opportunity in the Buckeye State
Economic results conflict with the charge that right-to-work is a “radical change” that would “only take away from working families.” In fact, right-to-work states experienced nearly twice the rate of population growth and a more than 50 percent greater change in nonfarm employment.
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Wage Hikes Pose New Challenges for Business in 2018
As Americans look to an exciting new year and politicos start gearing up for mid-term elections, 18 states along with 19 municipal localities will be raising their…
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Center for Innovation and Technology Update – November 2017
The American Technology Council, started by President Trump, released a draft report in August detailing how to reorganize government to enhance the delivery of…
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Illinois Must Dig Itself Out Of The Fiscal Ditch
Finger-pointing is rampant in Illinois as the state’s credit rating has been downgraded by S&P and Moody’s to near junk status, the lowest ever for a state. Without…
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State of the State: Delaware
Governor Carney's agenda resists overall spending reductions, advocates for higher taxes and neglects other needed policy reforms (such as worker’s compensation and worker freedom). With a legislature unlikely to circumvent the lackluster agenda of the new governor, don’t expect Delaware’s economic outlook to break through the median anytime soon.
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State of the State: Ohio
A renewed focus on reforms-rather than government micromanagement-can ensure the governor’s homestretch is one of continued economic renewal.
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State of the State: Texas
Republicans and Democrats in the Lone Star State surely can celebrate Texas’ resilience. Governor Greg Abbott began his State of the State address acknowledging the economic toll of falling…
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State of the State: New Jersey
The governor praised legislators for reducing the state sales tax and increasing the exclusions for the state’s estate tax; but he failed to mention the tax cut savings are almost entirely offset by the enormous 23-cent per gallon increase in the gas tax. This year’s sales tax reduction of 0.125 percent will save consumers a whopping $1.25 on a $1,000 purchase; meanwhile, the gas tax hike will cost twice this much on a single 11 gallon fill-up.
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State of the State: Pennsylvania
Enacting common sense budgetary reforms, eliminating some cronyism, and blocking attempts to increase taxes yet further are commendable. But this will not reverse Pennsylvania’s economic malaise. Accomplishing this will require bold reduction in twin burdens of bureaucracy and tax burden.
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State of the State: Maine
Under Governor LePage’s leadership, Maine’s economic outlook has improved from 48th in 2011 to 38th in 2016. But the tax hike and minimum wage increase threaten to roll back all of the recent progress. The governor recognizes this economic peril. His economic agenda address the problems created by the twin referendums from this fall. The outcome depends on whether or not state legislators heed his warnings.