Public Education
How safe are school buildings, funded by taxpayers? We don’t know, think tank warnsIt’s simply not known how safe school buildings are across the country, and there’s little accountability to taxpayers on the matter, according to a post by a global policy think… Read More
Courts
Local government violates the Constitution by charging taxes disguised as fees, church claims in new lawsuit(The Daily Signal) – A Texas church is suing the local government, claiming that “illegal excessive” fees to install a water tap violate the U.S. Constitution and the state’s religious … Read More
Culture
Texans pass billions of dollars worth of bond debt, paid for by property tax hikes(The Center Square) – Texans statewide passed billions of dollars’ worth of bonds on Tuesday, according to unofficial results. All bond proposition ballot language explicitly states, “This is a property… Read More
Public Education
Legal watchdog: Teachers’ union appears to not pay taxes on political spending(The Center Square) – For four years, leaders of the American Federation of Teachers union toured the country doing political rallies for Democrats. Among the dozens of political events they… Read More
Federal Spending
Poll: Most voters would rather cut spending than raise taxes(The Center Square) – American voters would rather see lawmakers cut government spending than increase taxes, but new poll results show the cuts voters want would have little effect on… Read More
Missouri, St. Louis
Missouri House speaker: St. Louis’ crime, taxes will be focus during 2024 session(The Center Square) – The City of St. Louis will be an important area to focus on during the 2024 legislation session, according to Missouri’s speaker of the House of… Read More
Kansas
Kansas loses private sector jobs while adding government jobs(The Sentinel) — Through the first seven months of 2023, seasonally adjusted numbers show Kansas has lost 2,700 private-sector jobs, while adding about 5,000 government jobs. According to numbers from the … Read More
Government
Abbott praises legislature for passing historic tax cuts bills, including school property tax rate(The Center Square ) – Gov. Greg Abbott Thursday night praised the Texas legislature for passing historic property tax legislation – four days after the two chambers reached an agreement… Read More
Government
Georgia’s school choice tax credit could save the state millions, audit reveals(The Center Square) – Georgia’s Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit could save the state and local school districts millions of dollars in expenses. However, the Georgia Department of Audits &… Read More
Missouri, Taxes
Gov. Parson signs bill exempting Social Security benefits from Missouri taxes(The Center Square) – Missouri will no longer tax Social Security benefits beginning in 2024 after Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed Senate Bill 190 into law on Thursday. The bill… Read More
Missouri
Missouri has one of the nation’s lowest beer taxes(The Center Square) – Missouri's 6-cent beer tax is among the lowest beer taxes in the country, according to a recent report. The Show Me State’s beer tax is the second-lowest… Read More
Kansas, Taxes
Nebraska cuts income tax rates, leaving Kansas the highest in the region(The Sentinel) — The tax motto in Kansas — "we aren’t as bad as Nebraska" — no longer applies, now that Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has signed sweeping tax… Read More
Taxes
Abbott: Goal is to eliminate property taxes(The Center Square) – Gov. Greg Abbott says his goal is to eliminate homeowners’ property taxes in the state of Texas. He says it’s possible to achieve over time because… Read More
Public Education
Washington collects $600 million more in taxes than lawmakers said they would for schools(The Center Square) – The state of Washington collected nearly $600 million more in capital gains tax than expected for its schools. When legislators passed the state budget for… Read More
Biden administration
Senior IRS agent blows whistle, alleging Biden DOJ thwarting criminal prosecution of Hunter BidenA decorated supervisory IRS agent has reported to the Justice Department’s top watchdog that federal prosecutors appointed by President Joe Biden have engaged in “preferential treatment and politics” to block… Read More
President Biden, Taxes
Small businesses petition against Biden tax hikes(The Center Square) – More than 11,000 small business leaders have rallied together in a petition to protest the tax hikes in President Joe Biden’s latest proposed budget. The National… Read More
Culture, Public Education
Illinois reallocates $30 million of COVID-19 testing funds for classroom air purifiers(The Center Square) – Around $30 million has been designated to distribute 60,000 HEPA air purifiers in more than 3,000 Illinois schools across the state. Mike Claffey, of the Illinois… Read More
Marijuana
Lucas’ summary for all Missouri politicians: ‘Thank y’all for the weed tax money’(The Center Square) – Democratic Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas provided a succinct summary for most of Missouri’s elected leaders after Tuesday’s elections. “Thank y’all for the weed tax money,”… Read More
Marijuana, Missouri
Missouri county, municipal ballots filled with recreational marijuana tax measures(The Center Square) – Dozens of counties and municipalities were holding elections Tuesday on whether to impose a local sales tax on recreational marijuana in addition to the 6% Missouri… Read More
Public Education
Michigan school district to ask voters for $243 million bond(The Center Square) – Saginaw Township residents might see up to a $460 annual increase in tax bills if voters approve a tax hike to repair school buildings. The Saginaw… Read More