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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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..

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

The return to the pre-recession peak level of jobs in Delaware will be a slow process.

Retail trade in northern Delaware seems to be in a funk. Between 2007 and 2014 total inflation-adjusted retail sales in New Castle County decreased 11%. Retail trade employment is down by over 7% and the total number of retail trade establishments has dropped by almost 11%.   What explains this?     First, households are still retrenching from the four decade consumer debt binge that culminated in 2008. The ratio of household debt to wage and salary income has dropped from 2.