A Comparative View of 2016 State Broadband Plans

This year, the Minnesota legislature is paying a lot of attention to broadband for its benefits in economic and social development. After Minnesota failed to reach its initial broadband goals, it becomes apparent that Minnesota needs to increase its investment in our...

Who Pays the “Fair Tax”?

The term “fair tax” refers to proposals to repeal individual and corporate income taxes and several other taxes and replace them with a broad-based sales tax. How will this tax impact taxpayers of differing incomes? As it turns out, the answer depends on how the fair...

Mid-Week Reads: On Government and Target

Every week, North Star will take some time out of our schedules to bring you our favorite reads from the past week. Jeff Van Wychen Things are Getting Better, Slowly, Because of Government This article is a summary of a recent Twin Cities talk given by Yale political...

State Business Property Tax by Legislative District

The 2015 House Tax Bill proposed to phase-out the state business property tax, ultimately eliminating the tax by 2022. A recent North Star article revealed that approximately two-thirds of the property tax relief resulting from the elimination of the state business...

Senate Targets Divide Surplus Between Tax Cuts & Spending

At a Wednesday press conference, Senate DFL leadership unveiled their budget targets for the 2016 legislative session, which “includes $300 million for an updated version of last session’s tax bill and $489 million in other spending, much of it one-time.” The proposed...