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We Can Fund Our Roads This Year And Scrap Controversial Gas Tax

A recent issue of The Bond Buyer warns that “thousands of road projects funded by a recently enacted California gas tax are in jeopardy if voters repeal it.” While most Californians want the decrepit streets and highways across the state repaired, they are not likely to be moved by the ...
Blog

After Wayfair Ruling, Will California and Other States Rush to Collect More Sales Taxes?

Last week, the Supreme Court issued a major decision in a case about online retailers collecting sales taxes, South Dakota v. Wayfair. As PRI’s Bartlett Cleland recently wrote in Fox and Hounds, “the case is centered around the notion that an entity must have a physical presence in a jurisdiction ...
Business & Economics

From Hooverville To Trumpville

In June of 1930 President Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Act. This Act imposed steep tariffs on over 20,000 different goods that Americans imported from other countries. As of its time, it was one of the largest tax increases in history. It was also one of the driving factors that turned ...
Blog

Los Angeles’ Airbnb Tax is a Bargain Compared to Italy’s

There are plenty of similarities between Italy and California. Both are similar in size and have wonderful wine countries and picturesque coastlines. They also share high taxes, a challenging regulatory landscape, and a growing gap between their richest and poorest residents. One major difference between Italy and the Golden State ...
Blog

Would Politics as Usual Change Under “Cal 3” Plan?

More than one observer has argued that California is too big population-wise, and the problems too-complex to effectively govern and should be broken up. Recently, it was announced that after years of debate, California is finally going to have a chance to vote on one of these proposals this November. ...
Business & Economics

Todd Gaziano of Pacific Legal Foundation on Bureaucracies Making Laws

Our guest in this podcast is Todd Gaziano of the Pacific Legal Foundation.  As director of the newly created PLF Center for the Separation of Powers, Todd is working on a long-term project to roll back the power of unelected government administrators. Over many decades, Congress has handed more and ...
Blog

Will California Cities Repeat Seattle’s “Amazon Tax” Mistake?

No one should wonder why executives keep saying California is the worst state to do business in. Too many politicians see businesses as nothing more than vessels available to be drained of their substance for the funding of foolish ideas. The most recent proposal among some Silicon Valley politicians is ...
Business & Economics

Tariffs Are A Clear and Present Danger To The U.S. Economy

The business guru Peter Drucker is credited with the notion that “if you can’t measure something you can’t manage it”. Using this logic in reverse, perhaps the best way to thwart the misplaced attempts to manage global economic trade is to stop measuring it. After all, when was the last ...
Business & Economics

Will California Residents Begin Paying North Dakota Taxes Too?

A Supreme Court case to be decided by the end of June could require California residents to pay taxes to a variety states, counties, cities and even mosquito abatement districts across the country. South Dakota v. Wayfair is a case that asks whether there are limits on state taxing authority or ...
Blog

Kilauea Volcanic Eruptions Spike Pensions for Hawaii’s Emergency Workers

“Pension risk includes lava,” said Keli’i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute, a sister free-market think tank in Hawaii.  Recently, the Grassroot Institute hosted an event titled “Navigating risk at Hawaii’s public pension system.” Thom Williams, executive director of the Hawaii Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), discussed how unpredictable events such ...
Blog

We Can Fund Our Roads This Year And Scrap Controversial Gas Tax

A recent issue of The Bond Buyer warns that “thousands of road projects funded by a recently enacted California gas tax are in jeopardy if voters repeal it.” While most Californians want the decrepit streets and highways across the state repaired, they are not likely to be moved by the ...
Blog

After Wayfair Ruling, Will California and Other States Rush to Collect More Sales Taxes?

Last week, the Supreme Court issued a major decision in a case about online retailers collecting sales taxes, South Dakota v. Wayfair. As PRI’s Bartlett Cleland recently wrote in Fox and Hounds, “the case is centered around the notion that an entity must have a physical presence in a jurisdiction ...
Business & Economics

From Hooverville To Trumpville

In June of 1930 President Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Act. This Act imposed steep tariffs on over 20,000 different goods that Americans imported from other countries. As of its time, it was one of the largest tax increases in history. It was also one of the driving factors that turned ...
Blog

Los Angeles’ Airbnb Tax is a Bargain Compared to Italy’s

There are plenty of similarities between Italy and California. Both are similar in size and have wonderful wine countries and picturesque coastlines. They also share high taxes, a challenging regulatory landscape, and a growing gap between their richest and poorest residents. One major difference between Italy and the Golden State ...
Blog

Would Politics as Usual Change Under “Cal 3” Plan?

More than one observer has argued that California is too big population-wise, and the problems too-complex to effectively govern and should be broken up. Recently, it was announced that after years of debate, California is finally going to have a chance to vote on one of these proposals this November. ...
Business & Economics

Todd Gaziano of Pacific Legal Foundation on Bureaucracies Making Laws

Our guest in this podcast is Todd Gaziano of the Pacific Legal Foundation.  As director of the newly created PLF Center for the Separation of Powers, Todd is working on a long-term project to roll back the power of unelected government administrators. Over many decades, Congress has handed more and ...
Blog

Will California Cities Repeat Seattle’s “Amazon Tax” Mistake?

No one should wonder why executives keep saying California is the worst state to do business in. Too many politicians see businesses as nothing more than vessels available to be drained of their substance for the funding of foolish ideas. The most recent proposal among some Silicon Valley politicians is ...
Business & Economics

Tariffs Are A Clear and Present Danger To The U.S. Economy

The business guru Peter Drucker is credited with the notion that “if you can’t measure something you can’t manage it”. Using this logic in reverse, perhaps the best way to thwart the misplaced attempts to manage global economic trade is to stop measuring it. After all, when was the last ...
Business & Economics

Will California Residents Begin Paying North Dakota Taxes Too?

A Supreme Court case to be decided by the end of June could require California residents to pay taxes to a variety states, counties, cities and even mosquito abatement districts across the country. South Dakota v. Wayfair is a case that asks whether there are limits on state taxing authority or ...
Blog

Kilauea Volcanic Eruptions Spike Pensions for Hawaii’s Emergency Workers

“Pension risk includes lava,” said Keli’i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute, a sister free-market think tank in Hawaii.  Recently, the Grassroot Institute hosted an event titled “Navigating risk at Hawaii’s public pension system.” Thom Williams, executive director of the Hawaii Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), discussed how unpredictable events such ...
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