Center for Economic & Fiscal Policy

 

• 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.

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Delaware’s Top Revenue Sources: A Decade of Change | 9/6/2024

"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’...

Campaign Finance in Delaware – The Dark Money Continues | 7/11/2024

  "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 &q...

The Pending Budget Crisis in Delaware-Get Candidates on the Record | 5/13/2024

  "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 f...

Elongated COVID-19 ‘Emergency’ Severely Damaged Delaware | 4/11/2024

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOHN C. CARNEY, pursuant to Title 20, Chapter 31 of the Delaware Code, do hereby declare a State of Emergency in Delaware. This State of Emergency will be effective as of Friday, March 13, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. E.S.T., and shall continue until terminated as provided under sta...

Go West young Delaware techie... | 1/26/2024

Our previous analyses discuss Delaware's inbound migration of retirees from our regional neighbors (PA, NJ & MD) and outbound migration to the more prosperous Southeast (FL, TX & NC). This final analysis in the "Migration Series" focuses on outbound migration to the West Coas...

Delawareans are Moving to these Three Southeast States | 12/22/2023

Some Delawareans could be retiring or moving to warmer climes; could they also be relocating for other reasons, like better economic opportunities? According to the most recent available data from the US Census Bureau, 31.5% of the outbound migration from Delaware is moving to these...

Is Delaware Attracting Families or just Retirees? | 11/14/2023

Last year, CRI published a migration analysis showing Delaware's inbound and outbound migration trends over a decade. Focusing on inbound migration, our May 2022 analysis implied that only retirees were moving to Delaware. But let's test this insight and look at other "key...

Delaware's ‘Off’ Budget Funding Belongs ‘In’ Budget | 7/25/2023

The Delaware General Assembly passed a $5.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2024. For Delaware's approximately 380,000 households, that is the equivalent of $14,736 per household. That is A LOT of money.   Randall Chase, a widely known veteran reporter in Dover, writes this is &...

Bill Alert: Delaware Legislators Want Taxpayers to Pay Union Dues for State Employees and Others | 7/9/2023

  "All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service.    It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management. ...

BILL ALERT: Delaware Legislators Want to Raise Taxes | 6/2/2023

In the last 15 months, Delaware's inflation-adjusted economy contracted a recessionary amount of 14.2%. Meanwhile, COVID-19 Relief Funds have given the State a record level of cash in the bank ($963.5 million).   What might the response from the Delaware General Assembly b...