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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The Error Ridden Unemployment Insurance System | 11/28/2018

As evidenced by recently released data from the U.S. Department of Labor, Delaware is part of a nationwide carelessness in the administration of unemployment insurance benefits.   Over the past twelve months Delaware has made an estimated overpayment of unemployment benefits of more then $12 ...

Response to DE Budget Director Concerning Pension Fund | 11/28/2018

It was very helpful to receive the comments in the News Journal of Delaware OMB director, Ann S. Visalli, regarding the unfunded retiree benefits of government employees. My response follows.   First, Ms. Visalli is correct that the state’s pension fund is 94% funded. The data that the ...

FOIA: Thanks to the Governor and the Legislature! | 11/28/2018

As documented by the Caesar Rodney Institute using U.S. Department of Justice data on convictions of state and local public officials, corruption is a growing problem in Delaware. The historical and research evidence is clear that corruption undermines economic growth. The Governor through an execut...

This Tab is for You Kids! | 11/28/2018

The latest report from the nonprofit State Budget Solutions (SBS) estimates Delaware’s outstanding debt to be $14.4 billion. This is four times the state’s current general operating budget of $3.6 billion.              &n...

The House Agriculture Committee: A Republican Bizarro World | 11/28/2018

When I was a kid, my favorite Superman comics featured Bizzaro World, a place where everything was topsy-turvy and kryptonite was good for you. Today, you can find a real-life congressional version of Bizzaro World at the House Agriculture Committee, a place where deficit spending is rarely crit...

State Loans and Grants are Immaterial | 11/28/2018

Under Governor Markell the Delaware Economic Development Strategic Fund has gone wild. Annual loans and grants from the Fund are up almost three fold. Why the flurry of activity? Will it pay off?   The reason for the flurry of activity is straightforward. Delaware currently has a 67,000 job g...

Reaganomics and the American Character | 11/28/2018

This piece from the website of Hillsdale College is a clear statement of what is wrong with the U.S. and DE economies!

Now this certainly has gone well | 11/28/2018

As shown in the chart below, a picture is often worth a thousand words. Since the year 2000, Federal debt has increased almost 200%, going from 57% of GDP to 105% of GDP (we now beat out Sudan!). Simultaneously, GDP rose just 60% and total private sector jobs fell.   Do we really need more F...

Mark one for the citizens of Delaware! | 11/28/2018

The court decision giving victory to the citizens of Delaware over the power hungry bureaucrats at DnRec
PDF Doc

Does Amazon need $7.5 million from taxpayers? | 11/28/2018

The state of Delaware has secured an agreement by on-line behemoth Amazon to locate a regional fulfillment center near Middletown in exchange for $7.5 million of state grants and road construction. Is this a good deal? No or yes?   On one hand this can be seen as another example of corporate ...