2015 Earnings Finally Surpass Pre-Great Recession Levels

by | Oct 5, 2016

Median earnings among Americans have finally exceeded pre-Great Recession levels, according to 2015 data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 Current Population Survey (CPS), thanks to strong growth from 2014 to 2015. Growth in earnings was a major contributor to the...

Billions in Tax Revenue Lost Through Foreign Tax Havens

by | Oct 3, 2016

U.S. corporations have stashed profits totaling trillions of dollars in offshore tax havens, potentially avoiding billions in federal taxes, according to a new report issued by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) and Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF). States also lose...

How to Succeed in Tax Rankings Without Really Trying

by | Sep 29, 2016

The conservative Tax Foundation just released the 2017 version of its State Business Tax Climate Index (SBTCI) and once again, Minnesota is purportedly in terrible shape. Minnesota policymakers need only follow a simple strategy to improve its ranking on the SBTCI:...

Racial Income Gap Persists Despite 2015 Income Growth

by | Sep 27, 2016

Median household income in Minnesota grew significantly from 2014 to 2015, based on Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) data summarized in part two of this series. Growth among minority groups was particularly strong, although this fact by itself does not...

Minnesota’s Working Poor Still Hurting

by | Aug 4, 2016

About a quarter of a million Minnesota workers had cause to celebrate earlier this week, as the state’s minimum wage increased. However, millions of workers in Minnesotans and other states are still stuck in low wage jobs that do not adequately compensate them for the...

Fiscal Policy Doesn’t Explain Below Average Employment Growth

by | Jul 28, 2016

Minnesota has lagged modestly behind the national average in terms of employment growth during the 21st century. However, there is no reason to blame Minnesota’s sub-par employment growth upon progressive fiscal policy. Rather, the state’s below average job growth is...