House to Pare Back Tax Cut Wish List?

by | Apr 11, 2016

House leadership recently released budget targets that focus the projected $900 million state budget surplus on tax cuts and increased transportation spending—two areas in which state policymakers failed to enact major legislation during the 2015 session. The bonding...

Minnesota's Growing Clean Energy Economy

by | Apr 7, 2016

According to the latest Clean Jobs Midwest survey, Minnesota’s clean energy economy is substantial. We have over 54,000 clean jobs across the state, and jobs in this sector are projected to grow 4.4 percent in the next year. Clean Jobs Midwest writes: 87% of the...

A Brief History of LGA

by | Apr 7, 2016

For four and a half decades, the Local Government Aid (LGA) program has provided assistance to Minnesota cities to pay for essential services and infrastructure and to help hold down property taxes. In recent years, some state policymakers have attempted to increase...

Mid-Week Reads: Campaign Funding and Climate Change

by | Apr 6, 2016

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 Fair Campaign Funding The editors of America Magazine bemoan the unrestricted political spending that has flooded into political...

Minnesota to Tackle Rising Water Quality Concerns

by | Apr 5, 2016

Water contamination in Flint, Michigan has sparked a growing concern about water quality and water infrastructure across the country. The conversations around water quality issues have become more prominent in Minnesota as Governor Mark Dayton has recently convened...

Minnesota in the Middle on Middle-Income Taxes

by | Apr 4, 2016

In conservative quarters, it is accepted as gospel truth that Minnesota is a high tax state. However, to some extent Minnesota’s high tax reputation is undeserved. While state and local taxes on high income households in Minnesota are above average, taxes paid by...

Working Family Credit Works

by | Apr 1, 2016

Conservatives and progressives don’t agree on much—especially in the area of tax policy. However, one program that draws support from both ends of the political spectrum is Minnesota’s Working Family Credit. This tax credit helps families across the state meet basic...

Is Minnesota Keeping Up with Its Neighbors?

by | Mar 30, 2016

Conservative groups are spinning a narrative that Minnesota’s economy has been slipping due to the tax increases enacted in 2013. The centerpiece of the 2013 tax act was a 2.0 percent income tax rate increase targeted to the state’s highest income households. The new...

Mid-Week Reads

by | Mar 30, 2016

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 Look to the Insects. This article critiques a new book by American biologist David Sloan Wilson entitled, Does Altruism Exist? Culture,...

2015 Tax Proposals Comparison

by | Mar 25, 2016

North Star Policy Institute recently published an article asking the question, “What if the 2015 tax proposals from the Minnesota legislature had been enacted?” This post includes a one-page summary of the findings from that article. 2015 Minnesota Tax...