Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin announced that he will wait until after August 15th to call a special session of the Kentucky Legislature to consider tax reform. The governor stated that he does not have a fixed position on what that reform must entail. In that light, it would be helpful to compare Kentucky’s current tax …
Category Archive: Kentucky
Jun
07
Permanent link to this article: http://wkubbtcenter.com/2017/06/07/kentucky-tax-reform/
Mar
03
Where have Kentucky’s Workers Gone?
Nationally, the percentage of adults with a job has fallen from 63.3% in January 2007 to 59.6% in January 2016. This phenomenon has largely been explained by three factors. Students are going to school longer (without working their way through school). More people are retiring even as life expectancies are increasing. Finally, more people are …
Permanent link to this article: http://wkubbtcenter.com/2016/03/03/where-have-kentucky%e2%80%99s-workers-gone/
Jul
31
Kentucky’s Labor Market Ranks 49th
A recent CNBC report found that Kentucky was the 36th most business friendly state in the US. Looking behind the numbers we find that they ranked Kentucky’s labor market second worst in the country. The health of a labor market in their study is a reflection of the education level of the work force, the …
Permanent link to this article: http://wkubbtcenter.com/2015/07/31/kentucky%e2%80%99s-labor-market-ranks-49th/
Feb
19
Kentucky’s Budget and Tax “Reform”
Kentucky’s taxing, spending, and borrowing policies are haphazard at best. At worst, they are working to impoverish average Kentuckians. In 2012, the poverty rate in Kentucky was 18.6%, well above the national average of 14.9%. A big reason why Kentucky’s poverty rate is so high is that Kentucky’s employment rate currently ranks 39th among US …
Permanent link to this article: http://wkubbtcenter.com/2014/02/19/kentuckys-budget-and-tax-reform/
Jun
17
Job creation, not more taxes, will spur Ky. prosperity
The following appeared in the May 27th edition of the Lexington Herald Leader. It was written as a response to Jason Bailey’s May 4th editorial in the same paper. Jason Bailey, director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy and a member of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Tax Reform Commission, argued that the Bluegrass state …
Permanent link to this article: http://wkubbtcenter.com/2013/06/17/631/
Apr
29
Candy Culture
Easter came last weekend and the massive infusion of sugar into my bloodstream (I ration all of my kids’ Easter candy to a piece a day which gives me time to reallocate all their chocolate to me) got me thinking about our candy culture. I’m beginning to think that our motto on the US dollar …
Permanent link to this article: http://wkubbtcenter.com/2011/04/29/candy-culture/
Mar
18
Peter, Paul, and Poverty
Here are the top 10 poorest states according to the US Census Bureau’s analysis of people living below the poverty line. Kentucky, sadly, ranks third poorest. Kentucky also ranks 46th in per capita beer consumption, so it’s not the “demon rum” that’s keeping them down. Matthew 26:11 indicates that “The poor you will always have …
Permanent link to this article: http://wkubbtcenter.com/2011/03/18/peter-paul-and-poverty/
Sep
27
Kentucky’s Fiscal Crisis
Kentucky is facing a fiscal crisis. Kentucky’s government is deep in debt and it is facing billions in unfunded pension liabilities. Kentucky’s debt and pension problems are exacerbated by the fact that Kentucky’s economy has been a laggard in economic growth. Left unchecked, Kentucky’s fiscal freefall will only serve to impoverish Kentuckians for generations to …
Permanent link to this article: http://wkubbtcenter.com/2010/09/27/kentuckys-fiscal-crisis/
Nov
20
Kentucky’s Economy: Structural Problems and Solutions
Former Presidential advisor Herb Stein once said, “Unsustainable trends tend to come to [an] end”. In other words, ignoring reality doesn’t change reality. That’s why it is important to use this economic recession to ask the “big” questions. What structural problems exist in Kentucky’s economy that impede economic growth? What can be done to fix …
Permanent link to this article: http://wkubbtcenter.com/2009/11/20/kentucky%e2%80%99s-economy-structural-problems-and-solutions/