Opinion
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Measure H and the War Against Biotech
Opinion -Voters in Mendocino County, about a hundred miles north of the San Francisco Bay, are being asked to turn back the clock with a ban on one of the most useful environmental tools available to farmers: biotechnology. -
Lessons from 30 Years of TEL Experience
Opinion -The first tax and expenditure limitation (TEL) was proposed by California Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1972. In the years since then, numerous states have adopted TELs. -
Cook County Assessor Wants Property Tax Caps
Opinion -In a January 28 article in the Chicago Tribune, Cook County, Illinois Assessor James Houlihan renewed his call for state lawmakers to “impose a 7 percent per year cap on increases in residential property assessments in Cook County. -
Georgia Governor Touts Spending Restraint, No New Taxes
Opinion -Before a joint session of the Georgia legislature on January 13, Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) outlined his vision for the state of Georgia during the annual State of the State address in Atlanta. -
IRS Error Rate Still High
Opinion -The January 2004 report of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration [TIGTA] confirms the IRS’s error rate for advice it gives at its hundreds of walk-in Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) remains unacceptably high. -
Michigan’s Budget: Good Start, More Can Be Done
Opinion -Michigan Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm (D) announced on December 18 that an agreement was reached to eliminate a $920 million deficit in the 2004 fiscal year budget. -
Corporations Don’t Pay Taxes, People Do
Opinion -When Democrats on the Presidential campaign trail talk taxes, attacks against the Bush administration are de rigeur. The Bush tax cuts, they complain, benefitted big corporations rather than individual taxpayers. -
VoIP and the Future of Telecom Regulation
Opinion -Much has been written over the past few months about the revolutionary potential of Internet telephony, or voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service. -
Antitrust Dogs Turn on Oracle
Opinion -It was only a couple of years ago that Oracle was leading the dogs of antitrust in hot pursuit of Bill Gates and Microsoft. How things have changed. Somewhere along the way, the pups got loose. Oracle itself may feel the antitrust bite. -
Farm Group Makes Fairer Taxes a Priority
Opinion -At its national convention in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 14, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) moved to make replacing the federal income and payroll tax systems a priority concern for 2004. -
HOT Lanes Advance in Seven States
Opinion -High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes made major gains in 2003 as federal, state, and local officials endorsed either the concept or specific project proposals. A December 29 article on the Washington Post’s Web site, washingtonpost. -
Schwarzenegger Caves on Spending Limit
Opinion -California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger abandoned a core campaign promise in mid-December when he signed a fiscal-reform package that did not include a constitutional spending limit. -
Wisconsin Needs a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights
Opinion -Although most policy analysts acknowledge weaknesses in Colorado’s tax and expenditure limitation--the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) adopted in 1992--the measure remains the country’s leading model for how to structurally require a state to keep its -
Boston Mayor Advocates Property Tax Shift
Opinion -At a December 30 meeting of a special legislative commission on property taxes, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino advocated a plan for a temporary shift of the local property tax burden, from residential to commercial property tax payers. -
Retailers Cut Prices in Moscow as Sales Tax Ends
Opinion -Russia’s largest retail chains plan to lower prices 5 percent in response to the government’s decision to drop the sales tax in 2004, according to the Moscow Times. -
Letter to Pinera from Slovakia
Opinion -Dear Mr. Piñera, Please allow me to convey to you my warmest greetings and thanks for your precious time during our visit to Chile. At the same time I would like to share some good news with you. -
About Jose Piñera
Opinion -Cato Institute Distinguished Senior Fellow Jose Piñera is co-chairman of Cato’s Project on Social Security Choice. As Chile’s secretary of labor and social security, he was the architect of that country’s successful privatization of its pension system. -
A Review of Tax Changes Taking Effect this Year
Opinion -Tax law changes that take effect this year will make a difference in your personal finances. Some will happen automatically, and some of these new tax deals require you to take some action now. The tax cut. -
Virginia Governor Proposes Largest Budget, Tax Increase in State History
Opinion -Virginia Governor Mark R. Warner (D) on December 17 presented his executive budget for the 2005-2006 biennium to the joint money committees of the commonwealth’s General Assembly. -
Pennsylvania Legislature Finishes Only Half of Budget Business
Opinion -Although they did not get the property tax relief measure they were holding out for, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives nevertheless voted 104-89 on December 22 to approve $1 billion in new taxes to finance new programs and close a state budget -
Oregon Should Follow the Example of Florida, Outsource Human Resource Services
Opinion -A tax recall vote on Oregon’s February 3 ballot is just one indication that taxpayers nationwide prefer spending cuts, rather than tax increases, for balancing state budgets. -
Cook County Board Considers Compromise to Cut Spending
Opinion -On December 15, a respected Chicago civic institution offered the Cook County (Illinois) Board of Commissioners advice on how to balance its fiscal 2004 budget with spending cuts, not tax hikes. -
Oakland Mayor Floats Sin Taxes on Junk Food and Drinking
Opinion -Oakland, California Mayor Jerry Brown has recommended the state solve its budget woes by exploiting residents’ bad habits, by taxing behaviors such as drinking and eating junk food. -
Spending Our Future Tax Cuts?
Opinion -Not too long ago, conservative lawmakers talked about enacting new tax cuts each and every year of the Bush administration. The White House has been led by a President who fought for the second largest tax cut in history ...