PLATTE Blogs http://www.platteinstitute.org/rss/blogs.asp This is blogs from PLATTE en-us (c) 2011 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:55:00 EST http://feedvalidator.org/docs/rss2.html www.eResources.com (Generator) webmaster@PlatteInstitute.org (Platte Institute) support@eresources.com (eResources) 60 Deflating Administrative Bloat http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=219 Nebraska's taxpayers and students received an interesting look into how their tax and tuition dollars are being spent as the Chronicle of Higher Education released its 2012 survey of compensation packages of public university presidents. The report shows University of Nebraska President James Milliken ranked 33rd, with total annual compensation of $651,908. Annual compensation calculations include base pay, bonus pay, deferred pay, deferred compensation, retirement benefits and severance pay.[1] Milliken ranked 100th in the Chronicle's 2011 survey.[2]

]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 10:25:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=219 Charter Schools: More Choices, Better Results http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=218 A legislative floor debate took an interesting turn last week as a discussion over teacher pension plans turned into a debate on charter schools and educational choice. While debating LB553, Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh noted there are more options for improving schools beyond simply increasing funding, singling out charter schools as an idea whose time has come.

]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 09:58:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=218 Implications of the Internet Sales Tax http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=217 Internet sales as a percentage of total retail sales have grown from 2 percent in 2000 to 16.1 percent today, with a value of $4.1 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.  This massive revenue source has caught the attention of governments looking to meet budgets because many of these transactions are not subject to state and local sales taxes.

]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 11:01:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=217 An Inquiry into Job Creation http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=216 There are various ways to evaluate the health of an economy; from examining gross domestic product to calculating the inflation and unemployment rates, each measurement provides different information for regarding the economy as a whole. Yet there is one important statistic for determining the availability of economic opportunity and mobility: the growth rate of private sector jobs.

]]> Thu, 02 May 2013 12:57:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=216 Medicaid Expansion in Nebraska: Update http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=215 The debate over Medicaid expansion in Nebraska was discussed for two days last week on the legislative floor in Lincoln.  Over 10 hours of debate ended after LB 577 was filibustered by opposing senators.  Speaker Greg Adams ultimately decided to end discussion over the bill after the second day; however, the bill may be debated again later this session if opponents can find enough votes to break the filibuster.  

]]> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:53:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=215 Omaha Public Schools Pension System: The Forgotten One http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=214 The Platte Institute has devoted much attention to the pension crisis facing Nebraska's political subdivisions.   Last December, we analyzed the flawed assumptions in Omaha's fire union contract and how the negotiated terms impact Omaha taxpayers in the future.

]]> Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:36:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=214 Talking, Texting, Taxing http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=213 It is not often that Nebraska leads the nation on a particular area of policy; unfortunately, the Cornhusker State has the dubious distinction of having the highest cell phone taxes in the country.

]]> Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:46:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=213 Legislative Update http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=212 Below please find a recap of several of the major bills the Platte Institute has worked on in the 103rd session.

]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:49:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=212 How Low Taxes Help the Less Fortunate: Part One http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=211 For the vast majority human history, the lot of the common people has been one of poverty, hunger, and a daily struggle to survive. Wealth and prestige were based upon which class a person was born into, and social mobility was a distant dream achieved by very few. So what changed the overwhelming trend of history and brought the common man out of poverty? Free enterprise. This idea spurred the Industrial Revolution that created the modern world and has released more people from the bonds poverty over the past 200 years than anything else in human history.

]]> Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:51:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=211 Update on Efforts to De-integrate the Nebraska State Bar http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=210 Last spring, State Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh expressed concerns over the Nebraska State Bar Association's (NSBA) use of mandatory bar dues for political and ideological activities in a Platte Chat.  Since then, there have been a number of significant developments.

]]> Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:07:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=210 Expanding Educational Choice in Nebraska http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=209 One of the distinctive features of a free society is the citizen's ability to make choices. But in Nebraska there is one crucial area where citizens lack full freedom of choice: education. Unlike 21 other states, Nebraska does not have a program utilizing tax credits, vouchers, or educational savings accounts to aid students choosing to attend private schools, restricting private school attendance in Nebraska only to those who can afford the tuition.

]]> Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:56:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=209 Energy Security, energy Taxes, and KXL http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=208 Affordable and abundant energy is the linchpin of both a strong national and Nebraska economy. Time and again, the free market has proven to be the solution for satisfying America's growing energy needs, both for renewables and for oil and natural gas. Now, thanks to innovations in directional drilling, hydraulic fracturing and software used to analyze "tight" oil and gas in shale deposits, the United States stands at the brink of revolutionary changes that will drive down the costs and vastly increase energy security for decades to come.

]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:55:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=208 Tax Modernizaztion Commission Extends the Debate http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=207 While the Governor's proposal to eliminate Nebraska's income tax is off the table this session, the debate on income taxes is just beginning. Today, the Legislature will begin a full debate on LB613, introduced by Columbus Sen. Paul Schumacher, to create the Tax Modernization Commission, "to modernize and align Nebraska's tax law with a twenty-first century economy.

]]> Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=207 The Need for Transparency - by Senator Mike Johanns http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=206 Patrick Henry, one of the greatest champions of American independence, once said, "The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them." Transparency and accountability is pivotal to the success of a representative democracy.

]]> Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:46:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=206 Repeal the Local Option Sales Tax http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=205 Among the most contentious debates of last year's legislative session was LB357, which raised the cap on city sales tax from 1.5 to 2 percent if approved by a vote of the people. Vetoed by Gov. Heineman, the bill survived when the Legislature overrode the governor's veto with the minimal 30 votes. Omaha Senator Ernie Chambers' LB266 would repeal LB357, lowering the cap back to 1.5 percent and reignite the controversy.

]]> Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:19:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=205 Transparency - the Salvation of the State http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=204 Nebraska taxpayers received troubling news last month from the Sunshine Review, a non-profit that promotes government transparency: the Cornhusker state ranks dead last in information available on government websites.

]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:09:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=204 "Buffett Rule" Bill is Bad for Nebraska http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=203 Newton's third law of motion says "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,"and while Sen. Danielle Conrad's LB532 may not be equal in scope to Gov. Heineman's proposal to eliminate income taxes, it certainly qualifies as an opposite reaction.


 

]]> Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:31:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=203 Tax Proposal Review Part Two: Ending the Corporate Income Tax http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=202 The provision to end the corporate income tax is in both of Gov. Heineman's tax package bills; LB405 would end the corporate income tax, individual income tax, and close numerous sales tax exemptions, and LB406, would eliminate the corporate income tax while reducing individual income taxes on Social Security and other retirement income, and close fewer sales tax exemptions.

]]> Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:51:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=202 Comparing Public and Private Schools Omaha http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=201 Omaha, NE - The Platte Institute for Economic Research Released "Comparing Public and Private Schools in Omaha," by Dr. Vicki E. Alger in Omaha today, presenting information that warrants a discussion about charter schools, tax credits and vouchers.

]]> Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:04:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=201 Strong Consensus is that Taxing Consumption Instead of Investment Promotes Savings and Long-Run Economic Growth http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=200 Taxes are taxes, right? I've heard the argument: If government is going to spend the same amount whether or not the tax system is reformed, then why bother?

]]> Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:34:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=200 The Benefits of Eliminating the Income Tax http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=199 In his 2013 legislative package, Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman proposed a complete overhaul of Nebraska's tax structure in order to rejuvenate Nebraska's economy and make it more attractive for individuals and businesses. This tax reform, introduced by State Sen. Beau McCoy as LB405, would close many of the state's sales tax exemptions while simultaneously eliminating both the individual and corporate income tax. In order to fully assess all three components of this proposal in its entirety, this article will focus on the effects of ending the individual income tax, with analysis of the eliminating the corporate income tax and closing sales tax exemptions to follow in the coming weeks.


 

]]> Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:57:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=199 Platte Institute Welcomes Tax Expert to NE http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=198  

Omaha, NE - The Platte Institute for Economic Research is proud to announce they will be bringing Joe Henchmean of the Tax Foundation to Nebraska this week to discuss proposals to reform Nebraska's tax code. Henchman was in Nebraska in November of 2012 to address attendees of the Platte Institute's annual Legislative Conclave.  

]]> Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:36:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=198 Fiscal Cliff: Not over for Nebraskans http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=197 The American Taxpayer Act (ATRA), the legislation passed by Congress at the first of the year in response to the "fiscal cliff," fundamentally failed to address the spending side of the fiscal equation.  America's unsustainable deficit spending has a profound impact on individual states.  Further, the implications of the ATRA legislation leave states such as Nebraska with a great deal of uncertainty and discussion must continue on the state consequences.  Federal and state budgets are inextricably linked, and decisions at the federal level about taxes and spending have a direct impact on Nebraska taxpayers.

]]> Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:02:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=197 Education Savings Accounts: Arizona’s Progress Could Be Nebraska’s Future http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=196 All parents want what's best for their children, and that means providing them with the best education possible.  To that end, a few states are beginning to allow parents to take a hands-on approach to education with Education Savings Accounts (ESA) leaving us all with one question.  Why wouldn't we want to provide all tools available to our Nebraska families, especially those with special needs?

]]> Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:35:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=196 A look at the proposed Fire Contract http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=195 It has been more than five years since the City of Omaha has had a new contract with the fire fighters, and even though that one expired in 2007, the last 5 years have been operational extensions of that contract. Since then, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the fire union - spiking, pensions, four men on a truck, etc.

]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:38:00 EST Blog http://www.platteinstitute.org/blog/blog_detail.asp?id=195