Tag: economic development

FAA shutdown proves business taxes aren’t always passed on to consumers

With Congress unable to agree on a bill to extend operations of the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency has been partially shut down since last Friday. Numerous construction projects were halted, nearly 4,000 federal workers have been furloughed, and $200… Read more [More...]

How the tax incentives war puts states in a terrible bargaining position

Last week, 17 of the top business executives from the Kansas City area made an unexpected request to the governors of Kansas and Missouri – they asked to end tax incentives for their businesses. The letter describes competing incentives as… Read more [More...]

The three part test for tax credits – and the fourth part we should be asking

When we discuss government budgets, direct spending receives the most attention by far. Less noticed is the substantial expenditure on tax credits and incentives, what some have called the “submerged state.” That inattention may have allowed several unconstitutional measures to… Read more [More...]

Guest blog (Shelley Cadamy): Spending on mental health services earns a substantial return on investment

Shelley Cadamy is a native Oklahoman and adoptive/foster parent who has done economic development work in Oklahoma since 1994. During a Leadership Oklahoma City session several years ago, I had the opportunity to ask the Oklahoma City Police Chief and… Read more [More...]

Show Us the Subsidies: New report sheds light on disclosure efforts

Oklahoma is doing a better job of providing public disclosure of economic development subsidies being paid out to companies but still has considerable room for improvement, according to a new report from Good Jobs First. The report, titled Show Us… Read more [More...]

Taking on tax incentives

In a recent post on our blog, Paul Shinn looked at state tax incentives and made the case for holding them to the same standards of accountability as direct government spending programs.  In the new blog at Tax.com, David Brunori,… Read more [More...]