By Giovanna da Silva As a part of his plan to revamp US public infrastructure, President Donald Trump recently suggested increasing the gasoline tax to 25 cents a gallon from the current rate of 18.4 cents per gallon to help fund his $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan. This isn’t a new idea, however, as proposals for … Continue reading Raising the Gas Tax Will Not Help Finance Public Infrastructure
Is the Gas Tax a Sustainable Revenue Source for Roads?
By Giovanna da Silva Millions of Americans depend on roads in their everyday lives. US roads handle 8 billion miles of traffic per day. For most of America’s contemporary history, federal, state, and local governments have maintained and funded roads. Currently, there are 4 million miles of public road in the country. Gas taxes and … Continue reading Is the Gas Tax a Sustainable Revenue Source for Roads?
Regulations Hinder Growth of Florida’s Solar Energy Sector
By Sam Stadtlander and Giovanna da Silva In 1883, Charles Fritts created the first solar cell and established the path towards developing renewable solar energy. Since then, the 20th and 21st centuries have seen increased demand for technological innovation in the solar sector as an alternative to natural gas and other conventional energy sources. Due to … Continue reading Regulations Hinder Growth of Florida’s Solar Energy Sector
Property Tax Appeal Process Benefits Wealthy, Non-minority Homeowners
Property taxes in Florida are based on annual assessments of property values made by county officials. Homeowners in Florida can challenge assessments that they believe overvalue their property and inflate their tax bill. Informally, the homeowner may meet with the assessor to negotiate for a reduced assessment. The homeowner may also petition for a formal … Continue reading Property Tax Appeal Process Benefits Wealthy, Non-minority Homeowners
Study Explores Local Government Response to Recessions
Recessions can be trying times for city and county governments. They typically experience a fall in revenue from two primary sources: 1) a shrinking property tax base because of falling property values and 2) lower intergovernmental transfers—grants and other payments received from the state and federal governments—because of cutbacks made at these higher levels of … Continue reading Study Explores Local Government Response to Recessions
Defunding Florida’s Film Industry Incentives was Example of Evidence-Based Policy
By Marisa Lupica and Matt Kelly States have been competing fiercely for movie productions with tax incentives since the early 2000s. Such incentives include cash grants, income tax credits, sales tax rebates, or payroll tax credits. Today, 37 states offer tax incentives for film productions. However, recent economic research shows that film tax incentives fail … Continue reading Defunding Florida’s Film Industry Incentives was Example of Evidence-Based Policy
New Policy Brief Critical of Florida’s Economic Development System
By Matt Kelly A new DeVoe L. Moore Center policy brief criticizes Florida's economic development system. Targeted industry incentives have played a prominent role in the economic development strategies of state governments for decades. In the late 1970s and 1980s, enterprise zones and tax incentives were seen as an appealing “market-oriented” alternative to New Deal … Continue reading New Policy Brief Critical of Florida’s Economic Development System
New Study Explores Crony Capitalism in Florida
A new study published by The James Madison Institute by DeVoe L. Moore Center Policy Analyst Matthew Kelly and Center Director Samuel Staley explores two examples of crony capitalism in Florida's government policy: sports stadium subsidies and film tax incentives. The authors urge Floridians to remain vigilant over the spending of their tax dollars by government … Continue reading New Study Explores Crony Capitalism in Florida
Local Government Revenue Indicates Sluggish Recovery for Florida’s Businesses
By Benjamin Petersen and Matthew Laird Revenue collected by Florida’s local governments has grown dramatically in the last few decades, raising the importance that Floridians have an accurate understanding of how our governments raise and spend taxdollars. Revenue collected by local governments from permits, fees, and licenses is of particular importance for Florida’s business and … Continue reading Local Government Revenue Indicates Sluggish Recovery for Florida’s Businesses
Despite Problems, Florida’s Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund is Best Performing Incentive
By Marisa Lupica The Qualified Target Industry (QTI) tax refund is offered to attract high wage jobs in target industries to Florida. The program is administered by the Department of Economic Opportunity, Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI), and the Department of Revenue. Among Florida’s tax incentive programs, QTI is the largest and has the highest return … Continue reading Despite Problems, Florida’s Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund is Best Performing Incentive