Progressive Policies Sink Ocean State Back into the Bottom-10
Providence, RI– How much bad news can our state absorb before its political leaders change course, asks the Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity? Fittingly, it is on Tax Day that high taxes once again are cited for sinking the Ocean State.
Despite a booming national economy, many recently published metrics show Rhode Island is heading in the opposite direction, underscored by today’s announcement that the Ocean State’s “economic outlook” dropped three-slots and back into the bottom-10 among all states, according to the 12th edition of the Rich States Poor States publication, produced by ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council).
“Our state is squandering its opportunity to remain competitive and to increase prosperity for its residents,” says Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the Center, who participated in a national conference call last week to preview today’s ALEC release. “This report reinforces all of the research and projections our Center has conducted in recent years. The upcoming a census will likely deliver the worst news for the Ocean State, which is losing the population battle. As this report again highlights, states with free economies and lower taxes are likely to see an increase in population, while the unfriendly economies with high tax and spend policies, like Rhode Island, are seeing a relative decrease.”
According to the Center, Rhode Island, is falling behind by standing still. While state politicians crow each year about not implementing broad new taxes, the unfortunate truth is that by nickle-and-diming residents and by not implementing aggressive reforms Rhode Island will continue to lose ground, nationally. As other states have moved to increase economic freedom for families and business, Rhode Island is losing ground by standing still: to reverse course, it must work quickly to reduce its onerous tax and regulatory burdens.
However, there is no indication that any political leader in Rhode Island has the courage to steer the state’s ship in the right direction. Encumbered by blind-dedication to a bloated budget, which itself is the state’s primary problem (with all of its taxes, fees, and mandates), lawmakers have put forth no vision and are stuck in the rut of continuing the policies of stagnation.
According to ALEC’s Rich States Poor States, top-10 states such as #5 Indiana and #6 North Carolina are the most dramatic examples of states moving up the rankings by reforming their tax codes, as just a few years ago each state was in ALEC’s mid-20s. Conversely, Kansas, which has raised taxes in recent years has fallen from the mid-teens to 27th.
Among the major factors cited by ALEC in Rich States Poor States leading to Rhode Island’s poor rankings are:
- High property tax burdens (47th)
- High estate taxes (50th)
- High Debt (46th)
- High minimum wage (41st)
- Workers Compensation costs (43rd)
- Lack of workplace freedom (50th)
- Unsustainable pension liabilities
“Because of federal tax reforms, millions of good-paying new jobs are being created and trillions of dollars are being repatriated to US. But given RI’s hostile business climate, we are less likely to see major new capital investment or rapid job gains in our state,” concluded Stenhouse.
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