Taxes
Blog
Spending Watch
AB 4: A Bad Idea That Costs Too Much
AB 4: A Bad Idea That Costs Too Much Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal May 2025 As we noted in an earlier Spending Watch piece, growing economic volatility will likely cause revenue growth to be much weaker than expected for the upcoming FY2025-26 budget. It is, consequently, fiscally irresponsible for ...
Blog
Newsom’s Diaper Plan Stinks
Why a new program when the old one is working ok? The state argues that there are gaps in the existing program, which targets low-income parents. Instead of simply filling the gaps, the state wants to impose some elaborate scheme that is akin to killing a gnat with a shotgun. ...
California
What Is Going On In Los Angeles?
Another question comes to mind: Could Los Angeles be the next Detroit? At times, is seems it’s in a race with San Francisco to see which will be the first to reach a Motor City-like nadir. Due to its “serious financial headwinds,” the city is going to have to make cuts, ...
Blog
Gavin Newsom claims California taxes aren’t high. Here is why he’s wrong
Gavin Newsom claims California taxes aren’t high. Here is why he’s wrong Originally published in Sacramento Bee by Matt Fleming READ MORE Gov. Gavin Newsom often claims California is not a high-tax state. “So, this notion of even being a high tax state is B.S.,” Newsom podcasted in March. “Sixteen ...
Blog
Spending Watch
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26 Wayne Winegarden April 2025 The recently enacted tariffs are significant tax increases on consumption and production, as I discussed in a February 2025 PRI Issue Brief. These tariffs will increase costs for consumers and reduce profits for businesses both ...
Blog
Your Mileage May Vary on New Tax Proposal
Your Mileage May Vary on New Tax Proposal Can our Legislature be trusted to replace gas taxes with mileage fees? By Steven Greenhut | April 9, 2025 In a normal state run by politicians who weren’t constantly trying to hose taxpayers to fund an ever-expanding list of dubious programs, it ...
Blog
Spending Watch
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal March 2025 The destructiveness of the Eaton and Palisades fires were unprecedented. According to the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, the recent Los Angeles wildfires caused up to $164 billion in property and capital ...
Blog
Spending Watch
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly Wayne Winegarden February 2025 The erratic actions of the Trump Administration are undoubtedly making it more difficult for states to budget for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. The knee-jerk reaction from many California politicians is to call for more taxes on ...
Drug Prices
New Brief: ‘Maximum Fair Price’ Policy Would Bring New Costs to Nevada Taxpayers, Put Patient Access to Health Care at Risk
SACRAMENTO – Nevada taxpayers could face millions in new bureaucratic costs and patients will likely see less access to life-saving drugs if state government mandates so-called “Maximum Fair Price” price controls on prescription drugs, finds a new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the ...
Blog
Consumer-protection edicts will only slow LA recovery
Consumer-protection edicts will only slow LA recovery by Steven Greenhut | January 31, 2025 A week doesn’t go by that I don’t get at least one unsolicited offer for my property, typically from investors who don’t use a company name or last name. They often claim to have driven by the house ...
Spending Watch
AB 4: A Bad Idea That Costs Too Much
AB 4: A Bad Idea That Costs Too Much Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal May 2025 As we noted in an earlier Spending Watch piece, growing economic volatility will likely cause revenue growth to be much weaker than expected for the upcoming FY2025-26 budget. It is, consequently, fiscally irresponsible for ...
Newsom’s Diaper Plan Stinks
Why a new program when the old one is working ok? The state argues that there are gaps in the existing program, which targets low-income parents. Instead of simply filling the gaps, the state wants to impose some elaborate scheme that is akin to killing a gnat with a shotgun. ...
What Is Going On In Los Angeles?
Another question comes to mind: Could Los Angeles be the next Detroit? At times, is seems it’s in a race with San Francisco to see which will be the first to reach a Motor City-like nadir. Due to its “serious financial headwinds,” the city is going to have to make cuts, ...
Gavin Newsom claims California taxes aren’t high. Here is why he’s wrong
Gavin Newsom claims California taxes aren’t high. Here is why he’s wrong Originally published in Sacramento Bee by Matt Fleming READ MORE Gov. Gavin Newsom often claims California is not a high-tax state. “So, this notion of even being a high tax state is B.S.,” Newsom podcasted in March. “Sixteen ...
Spending Watch
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26 Wayne Winegarden April 2025 The recently enacted tariffs are significant tax increases on consumption and production, as I discussed in a February 2025 PRI Issue Brief. These tariffs will increase costs for consumers and reduce profits for businesses both ...
Your Mileage May Vary on New Tax Proposal
Your Mileage May Vary on New Tax Proposal Can our Legislature be trusted to replace gas taxes with mileage fees? By Steven Greenhut | April 9, 2025 In a normal state run by politicians who weren’t constantly trying to hose taxpayers to fund an ever-expanding list of dubious programs, it ...
Spending Watch
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal March 2025 The destructiveness of the Eaton and Palisades fires were unprecedented. According to the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, the recent Los Angeles wildfires caused up to $164 billion in property and capital ...
Spending Watch
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly Wayne Winegarden February 2025 The erratic actions of the Trump Administration are undoubtedly making it more difficult for states to budget for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. The knee-jerk reaction from many California politicians is to call for more taxes on ...
New Brief: ‘Maximum Fair Price’ Policy Would Bring New Costs to Nevada Taxpayers, Put Patient Access to Health Care at Risk
SACRAMENTO – Nevada taxpayers could face millions in new bureaucratic costs and patients will likely see less access to life-saving drugs if state government mandates so-called “Maximum Fair Price” price controls on prescription drugs, finds a new brief released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the ...
Consumer-protection edicts will only slow LA recovery
Consumer-protection edicts will only slow LA recovery by Steven Greenhut | January 31, 2025 A week doesn’t go by that I don’t get at least one unsolicited offer for my property, typically from investors who don’t use a company name or last name. They often claim to have driven by the house ...
