Much of the discussion around the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) has centered around its reforms to Medicaid eligibility but, of course, the bill contained much else — it was “Big,” after…
On its own, fraud is disturbing. It presents a failure on the state government to safeguard taxpayers’ money, eroding trust. But in a high-tax, high-spending state like Minnesota, the continued…
All of Minnesota’s businesses should be paying less sales tax. One of the few things we know with reasonable certainty about the new state budget is that data centers will…
One of the few things we know with reasonable certainty about the budget brewing in St. Paul is that data centers will be required to pay sales tax on their…
“Legalize it,” Peter Tosh sang in 1976, “And don’t criticize it.” He also promised to “advertise it,” but he said nothing about taxing it. But then, he probably hadn’t been to…
I’ve been writing for a while about the forces driving increased residential property taxes in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Now, with state government finances in a mess following the DFL…
The DFL deficit In February 2023, Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) forecast a state government budget surplus of $17 billion for the 2024-2025 biennium. In that “historic” session, the DFL trifecta blew…
Shortly before Election Day last November, Gallup reported that “The economy ranks as the most important of 22 issues that U.S. registered voters say will influence their choice for president.” Crucially, given…
The DFL deficit In February 2023, Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) forecast a state government budget surplus of $17 billion for the 2024-2025 biennium. In that “historic” session, the DFL trifecta blew…
The DFL deficit In February 2023, Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) forecast a state government budget surplus of $17 billion for the 2024-2025 biennium. In that “historic” session, the DFL trifecta blew…
A recent U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) map gives Minnesota a dubious distinction: It was the state with the largest increase in gasoline taxes since July 2024. State taxes and…
Back in November, I told the story of former Minnesota Governor Wendell Anderson: Elected in 1970, the 37-year-old former Gopher and Olympic hockey player from St. Paul’s East Side faced a Legislature controlled…
What a second Trump term could mean for the U.S. economy. In his victory speech on Nov. 6, 2024, Pres.-elect Donald Trump strongly declared, “I will not rest until we…
The Cato Institute opens its 2024 Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors with the words: State government budgets have grown substantially in recent years with the influx of federal…
The federal Interstate Income Act of 1959 put limits on states’ ability to assert tax nexus over businesses with limited connections to the state. A recent Minnesota Supreme Court decision undermines that. Abir Mandal…
The problem The West Central Tribune reports: Chippewa County will be joining the growing ranks of counties imposing a wheelage tax on vehicles to help fund road and bridge needs.…
Summer is here. For a lot of Minnesotans, that means lively barbecues, evenings by the lake, and ice-cold beer. Unfortunately, however, even those simple pleasures comes at a high cost…
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve written about how Minnesota and its neighbors have very different economic policies but very similar employment outcomes and how they do have similarly…
Center of the American Experiment has produced regular reports on Minnesota’s economy since 2016 and these have often included a chart showing the employment ratio (the share of the civilian…
Minnesota now has the highest rate of corporate tax in the United States. As the National Federation of Independent Business explains: As of January 1, Minnesota’s corporate tax rate remains…
One way to generate increased per-worker output — which is the essence of economic growth — is to increase the amount of capital per worker. How can policy drive that?…
In a recent update, Minnesota Management and Budget announced that Minnesota’s budget surplus for the 2022-23 biennium jumped $820 million, up from the $1.6 billion estimated at the end of…
Between 2021 and 2022, Ten states enacted individual income tax rate reductions. Six states enacted corporate income tax rate reductions. Oklahoma became the first state to make permanent the full expensing of…
Earlier today, the Tax Foundation published its mid-year report on sales tax around the country. Minnesota, as usual, ranked high, coming at number 17 based on its effective combined state…