Opinion
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Former Senator, Friend of Taxpayer Dies
Opinion -Former U.S. Senator William V. Roth Jr., a fighter for tax cuts and IRS reformer during his five terms in Congress and creator of the popular retirement account that bears his name, died on December 13. He was 82. -
CBO Hangs Price Tag on Tougher Fuel Economy Standards
Opinion -According to Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates released on January 5, a federally mandated increase in corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for cars and light trucks would raise average vehicle prices $228, costing consumers an -
Virginia Has Its Own California Problem
Opinion -If you watched the recall of Governor Gray Davis and the elevation of Arnold Schwarzenegger in California, you know the Golden State is in dire fiscal shape. This is a state that has taxed and spent itself into near oblivion. -
ATR Ranks Dean a ‘Tax and Spend’ Governor
Opinion -Democratic Presidential hopeful Howard Dean ended 2003 on the campaign trail, defending his record as governor of Vermont. But according to Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), Dean’s record on taxes cannot be defended. -
California Blueprint for Workers’ Comp Reform
Opinion -Workers’ compensation is a worthwhile program that works well in most states. California’s program, 90 years old, should be salvaged. But lawmakers must rewrite workers’ comp rules before more damage is done to the state’s economy. -
California Launches New Round of Workers’ Comp Reform
Opinion -In early January, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger renewed his call for dramatic reform of the state’s workers’ compensation insurance program, warning “California employers are bleeding red ink” from the system. -
Economist David Ricardo on Taxes
Opinion -David Ricardo, born in 1772, became interested in economics at the age of 27 after a chance reading of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations (1776). -
Growing Economy Aids State Budgets
Opinion -Year-end 2003 economic reports suggested the U.S. economy is on the road to recovery. -
On the Frontier: Colorado’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights
Opinion -Colorado is often cited as the state with the most stringent tax and expenditure limit (TEL) in the country. State elected officials nationwide can learn from how Colorado got its TEL and how it is attempting to cope with recent challenges. -
Slovakia Adopts Personal Retirement Accounts
Opinion -A former Soviet republic is moving to privatize its national pension system, adopting a system of personal retirement accounts similar to what the Bush administration has proposed for the United States. -
Taxpayer Advocates Battle Tax Increases
Opinion -In Nevada, Dan Burdish of Nevadans for Tax Restraint and George Harris of Nevadans for Sound Government are leading the fight to repeal part of Democrat Governor Kenny Guinn’s $776 million tax increase package, passed in July 2003. -
Temporary Sales Tax Petition Falters in Missouri
Opinion -According to a recent Associated Press report from Jefferson City, Missouri, “supporters of a tough-times tax proposal have abandoned efforts to get it on the August 2004 ballot, citing a lack of both public support and campaign cash. -
Iraq to Receive Flat Tax in 2004
Opinion -The citizens of Iraq will receive a tax reform gift in 2004, compliments of the U.S. government. “That’s because the Iraqis will enjoy something we don’t--a simple and fair tax system,” said Daniel J. -
Flat Tax Benefits for Iraq
Opinion -The flat tax measure, predicts Daniel J. Mitchell in a November 10 commentary for The Heritage Foundation, will reap the following significant positive results for the Iraqi people: Help restore the Iraqi economy. -
State Fiscal Prospects Looking Up, NGA Says
Opinion -A year ago, the National Governors Association (NGA) said states were mired in their worst budget crisis since World War II. Now, the NGA says the crisis is easing. -
Taxpayer Group Sees Promise in State Governors
Opinion -Although California lawmakers would not themselves approve Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s economic recovery proposal, they have agreed to allow Schwarzenegger to present the plan to the state’s voters. -
Massachusetts Ends Ban on Sunday Liquor Sales
Opinion -With the stroke of a pen on November 26, Governor Mitt Romney brought the Puritan State into the twenty-first century, striking down the state’s ban on Sunday alcohol sales, one of the last vestiges of the Prohibition era. -
Tax Repeal Referendum Makes Ballot in Oregon
Opinion -Oregon voters have launched an effort to repeal an income tax surcharge passed by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in mid-2003, scheduled to take effect this spring. -
State Budget Problems Lead to Renewed Interest in TELs
Opinion -Thoughtful leaders in many states are fed up with the fiscal roller coaster they have experienced during the past decade and want to smooth out the ride. -
Farm Group Calls for Permanent Repeal of Death Tax
Opinion -In a November 6 statement to the U.S. -
Congress Shows Little Interest in Budget-Cutting Measures
Opinion -According to the latest BillTally study released in late November by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF), just 26 members of the 107th Congress had 2002-2003 legislative agendas that would reduce overall federal spending. -
Tax Law Discourages Companies from Bringing Home Foreign Income
Opinion -The United States has the second highest corporate tax rate in the 30-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The result is that foreign earnings by U.S. multinational corporations face higher add-on U.S. -
Why Gates’ Dad Is Wrong on the Death Tax
Opinion -So Bill Gates Sr. has decided that all Americans should pay estate taxes. He’s even written a book, Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes. Hey, Mr. Gates: Speak for yourself! -
Kansas Struggles with Streamlined Tax
Opinion -In November 2003, a delegation of eight Kansas legislators attended the Streamlined Sales Tax System’s Scottsdale, Arizona meeting seeking help to correct the mess a new “streamlined” sales tax law and its destination sourcing provisions had created in