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(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 […]

“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 […]

  (January 2015) Forty (40)1 Arkansas counties–more than half of the state’s 75 counties–have lost population since the 2000 Census, U.S. Census Bureau data2 show. The population losses illustrate the state’s uneven economic development3, with counties in rural east and south Arkansas losing population in the 21st century, while urban, suburban and exurban counties in […]

Policymakers Ignore Liens, Raise Taxes, Can’t House Criminals  (January 26, 2015) Documents1 obtained by the Policy Foundation from the state Department of Finance and Administration show total outstanding tax liens number 178,612 and total $735,470,927, while policymakers raise taxes and fail to fully reimburse counties for housing state inmates in county jails.   DFA filed 70,525 […]

(January 2015) Fiscal action taken by the 90th General Assembly has focused on income and capital gains tax rates,1 while ignoring Arkansas’ non-competitive top corporate tax rate, among the highest in the region.   Arkansas’ top2 corporate tax rate is in the top tier of states in the region:3   Louisiana        8.5% Arkansas        6.5% Tennessee […]

Summary: Arkansas Medicaid spending is fiscally unsustainable.  Medicaid’s unfunded liabilities must be identified. Strict program limits must be imposed.   (December 2014) Medicaid expansion has proven a contentious issue for Arkansas policymakers, with Republicans divided over a signature Democratic issue.  One group supported expansion; the other backs repeal. Expansion opponents have significant leverage in the state Senate.  They […]