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Fiscal Focus

Fiscal Focus is our bimonthly publication providing news, analysis, and commentary on tax and spending topics in the headlines. A longtime publication of our organization under its former name, beginning in 2013, Fiscal Focus will be published under the masthead of the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence.

February 20, 2013

January/February, 2013


A Closer Look at “Plan A”
Love it or hate it, Governor’s Dayton tax reform plan has given everyone a lot to talk about. We take a look at the proposal through the “what if” lens by modeling some impacts and discussing potential implications.

Public Pension Purgatory
Somewhere between the heaven of full funding and the hell of pension bankruptcy lies pension purgatory, a state of seemingly eternal underfunding. The latest pension valuation reports place us here.

The Perils of Populist Tax Reform
Two states wanted to dramatically expand sales taxes to services. How they went about it couldn’t be more different.
 

November 02, 2012

November/December, 2012

“Rewarmed or Reformed? Minnesota Relaunches Performance Based Budgeting”

Advocates say it’s a recipe for productivity and efficiency improvements in government and a foundation of long-term budget sustainability. Skeptics say it is politically naïve and administratively utopian with potential hazards. Experience says it’s best to ratchet way back on any transformational expectations.

“Report from the National Tax Association Annual Meeting”

Some reflections from three days with serious tax wonks

September 02, 2012

September/October, 2012

“Reform and Refresh –Annual Meeting Highlights”

Tax reform and some organizational changes were the focus for our 86th Annual Meeting of Members

“Middle Income Tax Competitiveness – How Do Minnesota’s Paychecks Compare?”

Gains in technology, manufacturing and business service jobs don’t always correlate with where the cheapest sources of labor are, or where the smartest sources of labor are, but rather where wage income can go the furthest. A look at where Minnesota ranks on this topic and how the personal income tax influences that rank.