Economy | Caesar Rodney Institute

Center for Economic & Fiscal Policy

The Center's mission is critically important to Delaware because state policies continue to be an unfortunate catalyst for the clear decline of Delaware’s economy for far too long. For instance…

Over the past 20 years, Delaware’s per capita income has gone from the highest in the nation to below the national average.
According to the Delaware Department of Labor, employment is projected to grow at only 0.5% over the next decade, thereby trailing most of the nation.
Since 2009, Delaware has had five recessions compared to one in the rest of the country.
Including the variable Gross Receipts Tax, small business owners in Delaware often pay the highest personal income tax rates in America.

In partnership with other like-minded Delaware organizations, the primary goals of this Center are to develop bi-partisan strategies and alternative policy options that will bring transparency, regulatory reform, and improved effectiveness to the tens of billions of dollars spent by the State every year.

Why Delaware’s Decoupling from Accelerated Depreciation Is a Strategic Mistake

Delaware’s decision to decouple from federal accelerated depreciation is being framed as budget protection, but in practice it functions as a quiet tax increase on investment. Accelerated depreciation is not a bonus or windfall—it simply allows businesses to recover costs sooner. By slowing deductions for capital equipment and R&D, Delaware raises the effective cost of investing, weakens competitiveness, and signals policy uncertainty at a time when capital can easily move el

Charlie Copeland

Dec 19, 2025

Delaware’s Budget Woes: A Crisis Made in Dover, Not Washington

Delaware’s $400 million budget shortfall isn’t the result of federal tax changes—it’s the outcome of years of unchecked state spending. As the Caesar Rodney Institute explains, Dover’s leaders have expanded budgets through off-book appropriations and relied on temporary federal aid to mask structural problems. With surpluses fading, Delaware faces a fiscal crisis of its own making, demanding real reform—not blame-shifting to Washington.

Charlie Copeland

Nov 11, 2025

Delaware’s Top Revenue Sources: A Decade of Change

Delaware's Top Revenue Sources: A Decade of Change Tracking Delaware's Tax Shifts and What's Ahead By Charlie Copeland Center for Economic & Fiscal Policy September 6, 2024 "Sometimes called Delaware's 'hidden sales tax,' the tax is levied on the seller of goods and services in the state, rather than the consumer."-- Jonathan Starkey, former News Journal reporter and current Chief of Staff to Governor Carney writing about Delaware's Gross Receipts Tax. In 2014, t

Charlie Copeland

Sep 6, 2025

HB 145: A Privacy-Protecting Bill that Reinforces the Fourth Amendment in the Digital Age

Although Delaware's regular legislative session ended on June 30, House Bill 145 (HB 145), a privacy-protecting bill, remains active. This is a crucial time for Delawareans to speak up-lawmakers are continuing to review bills, meeting with constituents, and preparing for the next session. It doesn't take a constitutional scholar to recognize the risk of letting government agencies collect data on thousands of innocent people just because someone, somewhere, might have done so

Charlie Copeland

Jul 22, 2025

Campaign Finance in Delaware – The Dark Money Continues

Campaign Finance in Delaware - The Dark Money Continues By Charlie Copeland Center for Economic & Fiscal Policy July 11, 2024 "A dependence on the people is no doubt the primary control on the government." -James Madison (Fourth President of the United States) Representative Eric Morrison, D-Newark, introduced a couple of bills ( HB 291 & HB 292 ) to fix some "lingering recommendations" from the 2013 campaign finance report issued by former Delaware Supreme Court Ch

Charlie Copeland

Jul 11, 2025

The Pending Budget Crisis in Delaware-Get Candidates on the Record

The Pending Budget Crisis in Delaware-Get Candidates on the Record By Charlie Copeland, Director, Center for Economic & Fiscal Policy ( May 13, 2024) "Responsibly managing our state budget remains a priority." - Governor John Carney Budget Proposal Introductory Chart January 2024 The Caesar Rodney Institute's review of the Governor's budget proposal last year revealed that he failed to achieve his vision for Delaware (which he had touted in his previous six budget p

Charlie Copeland

May 13, 2025

Delaware Slipping, Mississippi Rising: A Tale of Two States Changing Places

Once ranked higher in education and income, Delaware now trails in key areas—while Mississippi climbs the ranks. For decades, Delaware enjoyed a reputation as a high-performing state-economically sound, educationally competitive, and relatively stable. In contrast, Mississippi was often portrayed as lagging behind the rest of the country on nearly every metric. However, recent data tells a different story: Mississippi is making notable gains, while Delaware is losing ground.

Charlie Copeland

May 3, 2025

Fixing Delaware’s Budget: Smart Solutions for Growth

Delaware faces a growing budget crisis—rising costs, demographic shifts and slow economic growth threaten the state’s long-term stability. Without immediate action, the state will struggle to sustain economic growth. To reverse this trend, lawmakers must act now by modernizing government, reducing inefficiencies and fostering a more business-friendly environment. The time for reform is now. Projections from the Delaware Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Delaware..

Charlie Copeland

Mar 5, 2025

The South rises again?

The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that the south is rising again in Delaware. Due to more restrictive land use regulations in New Castle County (NCC) and the migration of retirees into Sussex County, the past 20 years has seen NCC’s share of the state’s population fall from 67% to 60% as Sussex’s share rose from 17% to 22%. These population changes have shifted the locus of economic action in the state. There are important qualifications to the

Dr. John E. Stapleford

Nov 28, 2024