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In Wichita, private sector employment lags behind government
Read more: In Wichita, private sector employment lags behind governmentIn Wichita, government employment growth outstrips private sector employment.
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Wichita may choose more centralized planning
Read more: Wichita may choose more centralized planningThis Tuesday the Wichita City Council will consider its participation in the REAP sustainable communities planning process. Wichita ought to reject this expansion of centralized planning, as the outcome will likely serve special interests at the expense of economic growth and jobs for everyone else.
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Wichita pension plan report
Read more: Wichita pension plan reportFirst, the good news: The condition of Wichita Employees’ Retirement System is nowhere near as dire as Kansas Public Employee Retirement System, or KPERS.. But the city is having to make much higher contributions to keep the plan funded. These contribution rates are likely to increase, as the plan relies on unrealistic assumptions.
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Hauser’s law, or raising taxes won’t work
Read more: Hauser’s law, or raising taxes won’t workHauser’s law illustrates that raising tax rates doesn’t generate more revenue.
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Taxes are expensive
Read more: Taxes are expensiveIt’s very expensive to comply with the federal tax code, requiring the equivalent of 3,500,000 people.
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Kansas should improve economic climate, rely less on incentives
Read more: Kansas should improve economic climate, rely less on incentivesKansas has a history of giving incentives to attract business. Despite this, businesses are leaving, and taking jobs and revenue with them, writes Maurice McTigue of the Mercatus Center.
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Thinking beyond stage one in economic development for Wichita
Read more: Thinking beyond stage one in economic development for WichitaIt’s hard to think beyond stage one. It requires considering not only the seen, but also the unseen, as Frederic Bastiat taught us in his famous parable of the broken window. But over and over we see how politicians at all levels of government stop thinking at stage one. This is one of the many…
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Southfork TIF should, again, be rejected
Read more: Southfork TIF should, again, be rejectedThe Wichita City Council should reject the formation of a new tax increment financing district in Wichita.
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Kansas Policy Institute to host economic development summit
Read more: Kansas Policy Institute to host economic development summitA summit on local economic development will be held in Wichita in April.
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Federal grants increase future local spending
Read more: Federal grants increase future local spendingNot only are we taxed to pay for the cost of funding federal and state grants, the units of government that receive grants are very likely to raise their own levels of taxation in response to the receipt of the grants. This creates a cycle of ever-expanding government.
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Cronyism in the tax code
Read more: Cronyism in the tax codeHow tax law is formed: “If you really want to understand the nature of our tax code, don’t ask yourself ‘Why are these provisions in the public interest?’ That’s not how taxes are passed. Ask yourself ‘Who benefits from these taxes, and how much political power do they have?'”
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In Kansas, planning will be captured by special interests
Read more: In Kansas, planning will be captured by special interestsThe government planning process started in south-central Kansas will likely be captured by special interest groups that see ways to benefit from the plan. The public choice school of economics and political science has taught us how special interest groups seek favors from government at enormous costs to society, and we will see this at…