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The WasteWatcherGoing Off the Rails in Texas
America’s first high-speed rail project could happen in Texas, where Houston and Dallas would be connected along a 240-mile stretch of railroad. However, what Texas Central Partners (TCP) and other high speed rail advocates are calling the Texas...
The WasteWatcherMaryland's Boondoggle Inn
In July 2016, Frederick County (Maryland) Executive Jan Gardner introduced a bill that would increase the county’s hotel tax from 3 percent to 5 percent. Despite denials from Gardner, State Senator Ron Young (D-District 3), State Delegate Karen...
The WasteWatcherTo Kill or Not to Kill Quill
In 1992, the Supreme Court ruled in Quill v. North Dakota that if a company did not have a “physical nexus” within the state, that state could not require the company to collect sales taxes from its customers. However, residents of states with...
The WasteWatcherSmoke and Mirrors: Teenage E-Cigarette Use Down
There is a lot of misinformation regarding e-cigarettes. If you’re the parent of a teen, you have probably seen the sensational headlines about “studies” concluding that teens are vaping at “record highs” because it’s now what the “cool kids” are...
The WasteWatcherCalifornia's "Netflix Tax"
Cities in the Golden State are exploring what they might call a “golden opportunity” to compensate for the loss of tax revenue from declining cable-television subscriptions as more Americans choose video streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.
The WasteWatcherTobacco Harm-Reduction: Big League Healthcare Savings
In the twenty-first century, remarkable technology innovations have improved nearly every aspect of everyone's lives. Smart TVs and smartphones are the most well-known examples; however, these innovations even extend to smoking.
The WasteWatcherLand of the Free and Home of the Subsidies
Renewable energy politics has become a powerful force at both the federal and state level. Wind and solar advocates argue that renewable energy generates power without the expense of burning fossil fuels. While this may sound appealing, the reality...
The WasteWatcherTaxes on Ashes: California’s Proposition 56
As the legislative session comes to an end in California, the government’s addiction to regressive tax policies has not. A well-organized campaign, composed of billionaires, medical groups, and trade associations, has collected enough signatures to...
The WasteWatcherMaryland’s Proposed Purple Line Update
On August 3, 2016, Judge Richard Leon of the U.S.
The WasteWatcherCloudy with a Chance of Subsidies
As tax rebates and incentive payments to businesses continue to deplete revenue intended for Oklahoma’s General Revenue Fund (GRF), which has fallen more than 13 percent below estimates, legislators must come up with a remedy. Otherwise, the $1.3...
The WasteWatcherSecond Hand Smoke
The California Assembly proposed Senate Bill 1400, introduced by Sen.
The WasteWatcherThe Needy, Greedy City
Mayor Jim Kenney was elected last year with a promise to bring universal prekindergarten to Philadelphia. With no way to pay for it, the Mayor needed a solution. So now, the City of Brotherly Love has implemented the soda tax.
