Central Nebraskans enthusiastic about consumption tax, but mixed on ballot initiative
Participants in the recent Central Nebraska Virtual Property Tax Town Hall voted in five online polls about a variety of property tax-related questions. As with all of the Virtual Town Halls the Platte Institute is hosting this summer, the polls from these events are only the opinions of participants who made an effort to attend...
Louisville voters reject a property tax increase amid the pandemic
As Nebraska legislators head back to Lincoln and into the last 17 days of their suspended regular session, they should keep in the back of their minds what happened in a Louisville special bond election on July 14. Louisville voters rejected a bond issue that would have allowed the district to build a new elementary...
Nebraska’s June unemployment rate increases to 6.7%
The Nebraska Department of Labor is reporting that the state posted a preliminary unemployment rate of 6.7% in June, a significant uptick from May when Nebraska posted a revised unemployment rate of 5.3%, which was the lowest in the country at the time. The department says the greater volatility in unemployment rates can be attributed...
Nebraska is in a relatively good revenue position compared with other states
Today is the new tax filing deadline in Nebraska. Today is also when the Department of Revenue released the state’s tax revenue figures for the month of June and for the last fiscal year (FY2019-2020). It is important to note that Nebraska’s phase 3 of directed health measures went into effect on June 22. So,...
Voters and taxpayers from Western Nebraska shared their perspectives in the Platte Institute’s first Virtual Property Tax Town Hall. Similar programs are scheduled for other regions of the state through July and August. Throughout the town hall, participants were invited to vote in live online polls for five property tax-related questions. Of course, these are...
Linehan discusses property tax reform on Platte Institute webinar
Nebraska Legislature Revenue Committee Chair Sen. Lou Ann Linehan joined Platte Institute CEO Jim Vokal on unresolved tax policy issues facing the Unicameral in its scheduled return later this month. On a webinar last week, Speaker Jim Scheer emphasized that property tax reform would be a key focus area before the legislative calendar came to an...
Nebraska PPP loan data show CARES Act tax policies are essential
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is one of the largest parts of the federal government’s CARES Act relief legislation. The PPP provides loans intended to help small businesses—those with 500 or fewer employees—maintain their payroll, hire back any employees who were laid off, and cover applicable overhead expenses such as rent and utilities. Detailed data...
Missouri governor signs “best” universal recognition bill
On Monday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson joined the list of governors who have signed major occupational licensing reform in the last year. Missouri’s bill, like Iowa’s bill a few weeks ago, creates substantial universal recognition and opportunities under what has sometimes been termed a “fresh start act”–giving those who have spent time incarcerated the potential...
Nebraska economy shrinks, but spared worst by growth in agriculture
New estimates show that growth in the ag sector gave Nebraska the country’s smallest economic contraction in the first quarter of 2020. Nebraska’s economy shrank 1.3% according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That’s compared to the U.S. average of a 5% contraction. Nebraska’s Plain States region averaged a loss of 3.6%. While the data...