Lessons learned from Fisker Motors | 11/28/2018

Since the state of Delaware awarded Fisker Motors an interest free loan of $12.5 million and a $9 million grant, what has transpired and what lessons can be learned from this? Following the loan and grant from the state and a $529 million federal government loan guarantee, things have been ugly. ...

Delaware on the Dole | 11/28/2018

The University of Delaware, in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Lab, is seeking a grant from a $180 million fund established by the U. S. Department of Energy for a wind turbine research project to be built off the coast of Delaware. The effort has the full support of Delaware’s ...

Does Governor Markell deserve a D? | 11/28/2018

11/9/2012 In their recent “Fiscal Report Card on America’s Governors,” the CATO Institute gave Delaware’s Governor Markell a “D”. The basis for the grade was that over the past four years the Governor has increased taxes (i.e., personal income, gross receipts...

Happy Holidays, New Castle County Residents! Your Gift: Higher Taxes, Higher Crime | 11/28/2018

   In a series of analyses CRI has argued the New Castle County (NCC) government is facing a serious fiscal crisis. This crisis was precipitated by the passage in 1998 of the anti-growth and anti-economic development Uniform Development Code (UDC). The recent recession has made things wors...

Sussex County to New Castle County: Well Take Your Taxpayers | 11/28/2018

     CRI has contended that between the 1998 Uniform Development Code land use regulation and the general practices toward subdivision review, that New Castle County (NCC) government is anti-development. Lack of economic growth has led to very large increases in NCC taxes and fee...

No Longer Blowing Smoke | 11/28/2018

In August of 2009 Delaware raised its cigarette tax from $1.15 to $1.60 per pack of 20 smokes. The consequences were predictable.   State revenue from the cigarette tax fell between 2009 and 2012. In part this was due to the higher price discouraging smoking. In addition, however, Delawares ...

Economic Growth Starts at Home | 11/28/2018

 In his recent State of the State address the Governor asserted that the legislated expiration of both his earlier 17% increase in Delawares top personal income tax rate and the 34% increase in the average gross receipts tax rates were "unaffordable tax cuts today."   How has D...

Updated Transparent Delaware data | 11/28/2018

Thanks to the generous support of CRI donors and the professional cooperation of the Delaware Office of Management and Budget, the payroll and vendor data in Transparent Delaware has been updated to include 2011. A review of the data shows that some things continued and some things changed substanti...

With All Due Respect to Alan Levin | 11/28/2018

March 28, 2013  I appreciate Delaware Director of Economic Development (DEDO) Alan Levins recent response in the News Journal to my assessment of the condition and immediate future of the Delaware economy ("Writer Misrepresents Delawares Economic Health" March 15, News Journal). I b...

The Government is Playing Games With Employee Retirement Benefits | 11/28/2018

The retirement benefits of Delaware state and local government employees are at risk. The governments of both the state and New Castle County have been playing financial games with their employees pension funds, but the chickens are coming home to roost.   For more than two years groups like ...