The mantra of President Obama is to raise taxes on the rich rather than cut the size of government. In Delaware, the governor, supported by the legislature, has already done this. Effective January 1, 2010 the top marginal tax rate applied to personal income of $60,000 or more was raised from almost 6% to almost 7%, and there have been no significant cuts in state government. What are the assumptions behind this thinking? If no significant cuts in the size of government are m

Are union rates over represented in determining Delaware’s prevailing wage rates? Is there alternative Federal data that would more accurately represent construction-market wage rates in Delaware? Would this save the Delaware Department of Labor (DDoL) the expense of compiling and generating annual prevailing wage rates? This report examines and answers these questions, and suggests a more efficient determination of Delaware’s prevailing wage rates. Normal.dotm 0 0 1 65 376 C

The Caesar Rodney Institutes Center for Economic Policy and Analysis has updated its 2010 comprehensive report on the methodology used by the Delaware Department of Labor (DDOL) in the calculation of the states prevailing wage and the methodology continues to be seriously flawed and tilted toward the union construction wage rates. The prevailing wage rate schedule published annually by the DDOL for all three counties must be followed for any capital project receiving state fu

Delaware’s export patterns indicate that Delaware’s economy, as with the rest of the nation, is increasingly reliant on the production of technologically sophisticated products, such as pharmaceuticals. Delaware’s potential for job growth depends upon its ability to provide highly trained workers as well as a tax structure that will attract firms engaged in research and development. Lastly, foreign trade barriers are hindering Delaware’s exporters and merit attention.

According to Gaming & Resort Development, national casino and racino revenue has emerged from the recession losses to post a modest 1% gain in 2010. Delaware’s racino revenue rose 1.5%. The combination of the recession and the growth in gaming revenue in Pennsylvania and Maryland has dropped Delaware from an 11% share of regional gaming revenue to 8.7%. The good news for Delaware is that its share has held stable for three straight years, as Delaware offset slot revenue losse

note: this editorial originally appeared in The News Journal and delawareonline.com January 1, 2015.  Read the original by clicking here     The baby boomers continue to age ... and perhaps mature ... and move into the empty nesters retirement years. Currently in Delaware, three out of every 10 residents are 55 years of age or older, and this will rise to 1 out of 3 over the next decade. And thanks to the state’s beaches, the boomers proportion of the population in Delaware

According to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics (fiscal year 2006), Delaware ranks high on expenditures per student (8 th among all states and the District of Columbia) and in the middle of the pack on test scores for reading and math.

The data is clear that rising state and local tax burdens drive wealthy  households from states. The steadily rising state and local tax burden in Delaware is problematic.

CRIs proposals to bring efficiency to the States Prison System.

Less than half of Delawareans receive unemployment insurance benefits when they lose their job. The claims process is time consuming and demeaning for many. Errors in payment and outright fraud waste millions. There is a better way. Personal Unemployment Accounts (UA), run like a 401K or IRA, can provide an attractive alternative. The bulk of payments are put aside in an interest bearing account managed by a private company or the state pension fund. Payments are made from th