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(October 2015) Boards and Commissions have been described as “low-hanging fruit” in terms of state government reorganization.  A state website lists 119 separate entities that include the words “board” or “commission,”1 though the number could be greater.  A U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year has caused analysts to question whether some boards and commissions interfere with the […]

“Money is sound when it embodies the same virtues we all try to nurture in our children: honesty, trustworthiness, reliability.” Dr. Judy Shelton, A Guide To Sound Money, (2010) Atlas Economic Research Foundation   (October 2015) The Policy Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a market-based think tank this year.  The Foundation, as part of the celebration, […]

Summary: The Arkansas Policy Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The Foundation focuses on fiscal and education policy.  This memo explains the idea that tax rates influence economic decisions about jobs and paychecks, and discusses how several institutions successfully advanced fiscal reform in Washington, D.C., and Arkansas.   (September 2015) The top U.S. individual federal income […]

  Summary:  Sixteen states have school choice programs that provide tax credit scholarships to help students attend K-12 schools, according to the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, an Indianapolis nonprofit.   (August 2015) Arkansas’ first private school choice measure, a voucher program, was enacted earlier this year.  The development has generated interest in school choice programs offered […]

Summary: Arkansas jobs growth trails national and regional averages six years into the recovery.  States without income taxes lead the nation.   (June 2015) Six years after the Great Recession ended, Arkansas payroll employment growth trails the national average, 8.2 to 4.2 percent, a Policy Foundation analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics records show.   BLS […]

(June 2015) Twenty years ago a small group of business owners and investors concerned about Arkansas’ economic future organized the Policy Foundation as a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit think tank.   The Foundation emphasizes the importance of tax policy and education reform, and encourages citizenship through forums and other activities.   One Person Can Make A […]

(May 2015) Setting the record straight against Arkansas capital gains tax proponents is a full time job.  The myth that only a handful of wealthy entrepreneurs pay capital gains taxes is rebutted by state Department of Finance and Administration records that show more than 115,000 Arkansans pay the levy. The myth that capital gains taxes do not effect […]

“States with lower marginal income tax rates have higher economic growth … Dependence on revenues from taxpayers in high marginal tax brackets exposes the state government to revenue instability, which makes forecasting much more difficult.” Policy Foundation, 1998 report1   (April 2015) Critics of capital gains and income tax cuts used fallacious reasoning in numerous failed […]

“The most callused aspect of the (Arkansas) education monopoly is that it willingly and deliberately forces children–except those whose parents have wealth–to attend bad schools. And it does so with financial resources taken from parents already struggling financially and at the expense of their ability to choose a better school for their sons and daughters.” Policy […]

“The most callused aspect of the (Arkansas) education monopoly is that it willingly and deliberately forces children–except those whose parents have wealth–to attend bad schools. And it does so with financial resources taken from parents already struggling financially and at the expense of their ability to choose a better school for their sons and daughters.”  Policy […]