As Congress reconvenes to discuss another potential round of COVID-19 relief, CEA President John C. Mozena and Mercatus Center Research Fellow Michael D. Farren are in The Hill, discussing their proposal that the federal government require states to end their targeted economic development subsidy programs as a condition of receiving any federal budget bailouts: Congress … Continue reading Op-Ed in The Hill: Congress could use bailouts to solve the interstate subsidy war
Mercatus/CEA Paper: Federal Pandemic Relief Could End the Interstate Economic Development Arms Race
In a working paper published by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Mercatus Research Fellow Michael Farren and Center for Economic Accountability President John Mozena propose that states be required to end targeted economic development subsidy programs as a condition of receiving any federal COVID-19 "bailout" of state finances. Farren and Mozena note that … Continue reading Mercatus/CEA Paper: Federal Pandemic Relief Could End the Interstate Economic Development Arms Race
Column in The Hill – States: Stop subsidizing these 3 dumb things
There are a lot of things states do in the name of "economic development that don't make much sense. But out of all the bad deals out there, there's three popular kinds of subsidized project that are especially bad for the communities that make them: Stadiums, data centers and distribution centers. In The Hill, CEA … Continue reading Column in The Hill – States: Stop subsidizing these 3 dumb things
Open Letter to Michigan’s Senate Economic Development Committee on “Good Jobs for Michigan” Tax Incentive Expansion
Michigan - where the CEA is headquartered - is considering renewing and expanding a tax credit program known as "Good Jobs for Michigan" that by some estimates is costing taxpayers $40,000 per job. CEA President John C. Mozena attended the Michigan State Senate Economic and Small Business Development Committee hearing at which testimony was being … Continue reading Open Letter to Michigan’s Senate Economic Development Committee on “Good Jobs for Michigan” Tax Incentive Expansion
Des Moines Register Column: Iowans deserve tax credit transparency
Iowa's massive tax credit system costs the state as much every year as all of its state and local government agencies combined spend on mental health and disability services for some of its most vulnerable residents. Is that a good trade-off? Unfortunately, there's no way for Iowa's taxpayers to know for sure, thanks to the … Continue reading Des Moines Register Column: Iowans deserve tax credit transparency