Eureka! How to Fix California PRI Publication By: Dr. Arthur Laffer 4.5.2012
Dr. Laffer Proposes a 5.8% Flat Tax for All Californians
In Eureka! How to Fix California, economist Dr. Arthur Laffer undertakes an unprecedented analysis of the state’s economy and offers solutions on how to restore the state to prosperity. Among Dr. Laffer’s proposals is a 5.8 percent flat tax for all Californians.
Eureka! surveys California’s economic history and fiscal policies beginning with Governor Ronald Reagan. Dr. Laffer shows the results of public policies that have powered extraordinary growth for the state, and those that produced economic decline. In Eureka!, he examines:
the economic performance of all 50 states by comparing tax policies -- including personal income tax rates as well as corporate, estate, and sales taxes
the economic performance of right-to-work states versus forced-union states·
Californians’ Form 1040s over a 15-year period to evaluate the migration patterns of Californians at various income levels.
the root causes of California’s housing booms and busts, and
the power of the unions, bureaucrats, and other special interests that have held back the state from overcoming its fiscal problems.
Dr. Laffer concludes Eureka! with recommendations for reform, including a flat personal income tax rate of 5.8 percent for all Californians. “California has been on a rollercoaster ride up and down the Laffer Curve,” said Dr. Laffer. “How do you think I got the idea in the first place?”