Just in case you missed it, Fox News did a special segment on the story of Cabela’s leaving Sidney and the impact it has had on the town and its citizens. The whole video is 10:45 long, but if you want to hear only the part about Sidney, fast forward to 5:15 and then at...
Ever wonder where we get some of our economic ideas? Two predominant examples of economic views are Keynesian and Classical (also sometimes referred to as Austrian economics). Keynesian is based on the British Economist John Maynard Keynes, who influenced much of the economic and fiscal behavior of governments in the early 1900’s. In a nutshell,...
Swimming pools may be great fun, but they're not core government services.
A bald eagle smashed through a storefront window and gave an essential economics lesson.
According to the NE Department of Revenue, the following are changes to the local sales and use taxes effective Jan 1, 2020: Gage County will start a new 0.5% county sales and use tax rate that is effective in the entire Gage County area. Deshler will start a new 1% city sales and use tax rate. Unadilla will start a new 1.5% city sales...
We are often encouraged to "give what you can," but might forget that we can give a lot more than money.
Maybe it’s time the State of Nebraska look at investing in more auditors for local entities.
News from Michigan today – “Michigan could put more people to work and add $746.2 million to state and local government treasuries by reforming or eliminating occupational licensure mandates — dwarfing the $195 million governments here currently collect in licensing fees.” This is based on a study coming out of a Massachusetts based nonprofit. The...
The proposal to be discussed includes an expansion of the state’s sales tax base.
Ever wonder how much our state has changed when it comes to tax policy? Well, in the spirit of Facebook’s ten-year challenge, here is Nebraska’s ten year tax challenge: 2009 to 2019. Here are some things to keep in mind. Slight changes in our tax rates can change our national ranking. For example, the individual...
The folks over at the Foundation for Economic Education have provided us with a nice little background on why “Black Friday” is called that. If you don’t have time to read the story before you head out on your post-Thanksgiving shopping binge, here are the three competing theories behind “Black Friday.” 1) National Hooky Day...
Happy Thanksgiving from the staff of the Platte Institute. Here’s a nicely done, brief video that serves as a reminder.
An excess in reserves for OPS creates an opportunity to do the right thing - protect the taxpayer.
Hat-tip to Jared Walczak at the Tax Foundation for pointing out this worthwhile read in the New York Times about an Ohio village where voters decided to abolish their local government in order to fend off a tax increase. Residents of Amelia, Ohio voted to disband the local political subdivision after their council imposed a...