The IRS needs money. It’s struggling to get by on about $12 billion a year, an agency official told Congress, warning that insufficient funding prevents adequate enforcement. The result is a $400 billion “tax gap” caused by some taxpayers under-reporting what they owe. Washington’s solution? Give revenuers more money. But a better use of [...]
A couple of news stories caught my eye in the past week. In Chicago, the city council is looking at plans that would charge 15 to 35 cents in tax on sugary drinks. It’s estimated Chicagoans drink more than 100 million gallons of such drinks each year and consumption would generate almost $130 million in [...]
Economists have a pesky way of “buting” into what are otherwise encouraging forecasts. This trend or that statistic signals growth … BUT yet another trend or a different statistic could lead to slowing. Economists have no difficulty whatsoever in viewing the glass as both half full and half empty. Perhaps it’s a sign of these [...]
It’s hard to be both an entrepreneur and pessimist. Entrepreneurship really requires optimism. Of course, that optimism must be rooted in reality. Consequently, it’s been tough to be an entrepreneur in recent years, not to mention an economist for a small business advocacy group. After all, you long to remain optimistic about the economy, but [...]
After four-plus years of a deep recession and poor recovery, there are those who can become excited when the economy merely muddles along at a below-average rate of growth. That seems to be the case with some in their reaction to the recent release of the Federal Reserve Beige Book. The information gathered from the [...]
Bring to a mind, for a moment, the memorable places you’ve visited in urban settings — perhaps the River Walk in San Antonio or maybe the 16th Street Mall in Denver. For that matter, recall the last time you shopped at a store, enjoyed a meal or simply strolled along Main Street in downtown Grand [...]
It’s no secret Colorado businesses pay a hefty price for Coloradans’ health – with health insurance premiums representing the most obvious and visible cost. Health insurance premiums will increase by an average of 9.4 percent for Colorado businesses in 2012, projects the Lockton Benefit Group. That’s on top of the more than $7 billion Colorado [...]
Apparently, President Barack Obama didn’t like how the arguments over his massive health care measure went before the Supreme Court. Obama not only came out swinging against the court, but also questioned the court’s role in our system of checks and balances. It was an unprecedented attack from a president of the United States. For [...]
At least we’re not in Belgium. And I’ll give out a free annual subscription to the first person who actually gets that obscure reference. If there’s one thing that really bugs me when I’m doing my job, it’s when I’ve been engaged in a bunch of interesting conversations online, over e-mail and in person, but [...]
It’s been a long, hard slog on the economy and jobs for more than four years now. But the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows life on the employment front. According to the establishment survey, payrolls increased by 227,000 in February. That was the third straight month of job gains that [...]
