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Energy & Environment
Testimony to the Chicago City Council Committee on Finance on E15
At a hearing discussing the proposed expansion of E15 fuel stations in Chicago, Policy Analyst Taylor Smith says such a measure will fail to lower gasoline prices, because local government policymakers lack the power to impact crude oil prices, the primary variable in the cost of gasoline. However, Smith also says at the state level, lawmakers can help consumers see lower prices by eliminating the sales tax on gasoline; gasoline is already taxed once by the motor fuel tax.Read More
Healthcare
Research & Commentary: Telemedicine
In this Research & Commentary, Senior Policy Analyst Matthew Glans discusses the sector that has yet to embrace the full potential of modern communication networks — the health care industry. He states “Telemedicine — the use of information technology in the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of patients’ conditions — can dramatically lower the costs of health care while increasing access for thousands of patients.” Read More
Education
Testimony on House Bill 597 to Repeal and Replace Common Core to the Ohio House Rules and Reference Committee
At a hearing discussing a bill that would repeal Common Core standards in Ohio, and temporarily replace them with Massachusetts standards before implementing Ohio-written standards, Research Fellow Joy Pullmann says Common Core will not solve Ohio’s education problems, and Ohio would be better off using “proven, well-regarded, and objectively higher academic standards from Massachusetts.” Read More
Budget & Tax
Study: Sales Tax Exemptions Spur Tax Hikes
State and local governments often use sales taxes to generate added revenue. In this Heartlander article, Dr. Thomas Stratmann, a scholar with the Mercatus Center and a professor of economics at George Mason University, debates why the effects of increasing sales taxes are often overly optimistic. He calls for agencies to be “more alert to the link between sales taxes and exemptions when making predictions of future increases in revenue.” Read More
Telecom
Don’t Tax the Internet Into Oblivion
Many of us who have grown up using the Internet have watched it do incredible work. In this Heartland blog post, Government Relations Intern Alexander Anton discusses the Internet Tax Freedom Act set to expire on November 1, as well as the effect it will have on innovation. Read More
From Our Free-Market Friends
Protecting Omaha’s Future: Confronting the Challenge of Public Pension Reform
Cities and states across the county are contemplating reforms to their public employee retirement plans. In this new policy study, Andrew Biggs, resident scholar at American Enterprise Institute, discusses a number of important issues, including why governments should reform defined-benefit public pensions and identifying the obstacles to transitioning to defined-contribution, 401(k)-type pension plans. “We conclude that a DC pension plan can work for public employees and can provide advantages both for employers and employees, if it is properly designed and maintained.” Read More
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