On April 11, 2018, Virginia legislators will return to Richmond for a special session in which they will aim to finish work on the Commonwealth’s budget. At center stage, yet again, is the issue of Medicaid expansion, still unresolved eight years after Obamacare became law. Medicaid is a deeply flawed program that was meant to […]
Hawaii Bill Would Use Tax Dollars to Pay Unions
From every paycheck Mark Janus receives, an amount is deducted and sent to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), one of the most powerful unions in America. Mark is an employee of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and to keep his job over the years, he’s had to […]
As Other States Thrive, California is a Shadow of Its Former Self
So many iconic images and phrases come to mind when you think of California. The Gold Rush. The American Dream. Hollywood. The place where anything was possible and big dreams can come true—thanks to the smashing success of capitalism. “Go West, Young Man.” It was the pinnacle of American culture, industry, and innovation, and, at […]
Trump Administration Rejects Maine’s Request to Remove Soda and Candy from SNAP
For years, many conservatives have attacked the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, and for good reason. It is true that SNAP is rife with waste, fraud, and abuse, and is part of a complicated mess of federal welfare programs that have overly broad eligibility requirements. However, conservatives looking to reform it by prohibiting people from using […]
Up In Smoke: What Happened to the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement Money?
In November 1998, forty-six US states, along with the District of Columbia and five US territories, and the major tobacco companies entered into a contract of an extraordinary nature. (The other four states, Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Texas, had entered similar agreements on their own beginning the year before.) The agreement, known as the Master […]
Virginia Continues Move to Left
On November 7, 2017, Virginians elevated Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam (D) to the governorship. Democrats also won the other two statewide elected offices and, surprising most forecasters, picked up at least 15 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, bringing their total to 49 out of 100 seats, with three recounts likely taking place in […]
Clarity Needed in Taxation of Digital Goods
With technology changing the way consumers listen and view music and videos, state and local governments are now looking toward taxation of digital goods and services to increase their tax revenues. Currently, 17 states require by statute that taxes be paid on digital goods and services, and another eight states plus the District of Columbia […]
The Unfair “Fairness” Act
It is disingenuous to call something fair and equitable when it is clearly not. This is the case with both S. 698, the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2015 (MFA), and the Remote Transaction Parity Act (RTPA), introduced on June 15, 2015 by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). Both bills purport to bring “equity” between the taxation […]
The Clock is ticking on Internet Taxation
Less than six months from now, citizens across the country could face new taxes. That is when the moratorium banning taxes on Internet access and discriminatory duplicate taxes on Internet services expires. While legislation to make the moratorium permanent has been introduced with bi-partisan support, the clock is ticking leading up to the November 1, […]
Halting Wireless Tax Increases
The June 2013 early release report on wireless substitution by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that the percentage of adults and children living in households with wireless only telephone service has been on a steady increase since 2003. The data in the report indicates that wireless-only population is now about 36.5 percent and […]