Service industry workers — wait staff, bartenders and the like — are experts in free-market economics. They enjoy immediate and tangible reward for their hard work in the form of tips, and the best servers can make hundreds of dollars per shift through hard work, positivity and attentiveness. When they aren’t feeling it, the effects...
Texans pay state and local taxes in one form or another. Given Texans desire prosperity and liberty, an optimal tax system creates the least burden on economic activity while funding limited government spending. While the details of taxation can get complicated quickly, core principles of sound taxation include a tax that’s simple, flat, and broad-based....
These are tough times for newspapers, particularly local papers that are still an integral part of their communities. They serve many vital functions, because no 24-hour news channel and no national political website will likely keep track of the varsity boys’ basketball scores or the proposed teachers’ raise that the school board is discussing. What’s...
Texas ports contribute $650 billion in trade and support 1.6 million Texas jobs. But as goods travel through Texas ports, Texans and all Americans are paying a higher price than necessary from an uncompetitive market of harbor pilots. Ships entering a U.S. port must be guided by a licensed harbor pilot, which is noted as...
Six months ago the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump. Proof that Americans keep winning from pro-growth tax reform is evident with each new economic report. So far more than 4 million Americans will receive bonuses and millions more are receiving additional benefits from at...
Gasoline prices have been rising recently as tensions heighten in the global oil market. These increases may soon be exacerbated if some advocates of a carbon tax get their way. With its flawed assumptions and high costs, politicians should ignore the hype and just say no to a carbon tax. It is expensive and ineffective,...
Wouldn’t you like to pay lower taxes? Well, a recent study by the Mercatus Center shows that Texas could substantially reduce Texans’ tax burden if it cut corporate welfare. The authors of the study used recently released data to show how much each state government burdens people with higher taxes to fund corporate welfare. Texas...
There’s a small but growing movement nationwide for a government-imposed carbon tax. Advocates argue for rationing the use of fossil fuels by setting a price on carbon dioxide emissions, which would give Americans a financial incentive to switch over to renewable energy sources like wind and solar. But these arguments are based on flawed assumptions...
Proponents of a U.S. carbon tax have been coming out of the woodworks for years, but even more recently, shouting about the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions primarily from the use of fossil fuels to save the environment. But is it worth it? According to a recently published paper by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the...
As The Hill reported last week, two House Republicans have introduced a resolution condemning the idea of a carbon tax. Such a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, say Majority Whip Steve Scalise and West Virginia Rep. David McKinley, would “be detrimental to American families and businesses, and is not in the best interest of the United States.” They’re right, but...
Occupational licensing is a form of regulation that requires a person to register with the government, achieve training, pay fees, and often complete an exam before being allowed to perform a job or vocation. The intended goal of occupational licensing is to ensure public health and safety by mandating quality in a profession. However, the...
Imagine: You own a business. You love what you do, the opportunity to employ people, and satisfying customers. But the cost of doing business is escalating as local property taxes increase. Down the road, a large corporation started construction of a new building. They considered other locations before choosing your community. That corporation received...