Entries by Justin Katz

RI’s State and Local Tax Burden Still an F

Rhode Island’s state and local tax burden is still the sixth worst in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation’s updated ranking. It will therefore receive another F grade when the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity updates its Report Card on Rhode Island Competitiveness early in 2013.

Rhode Island Employment Snapshot, August 2012

Rhode Island’s unemployment rate fell a tenth of a point in July, to 10.7%, still second only to Nevada. This month, the results could be termed “mixed,” but it’s a mix of bad and stagnant. Employment actually increased, after a summer of losses, but even more gave up looking for work.

Progress Report: 2013 Budget Does Not Improve Failing Report Card

When the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity released its “Report Card on Rhode Island ‘Competitiveness,'” in February, Rhode Islanders had reason to believe that the General Assembly would do something to address the state’s most pressing issue: jobs. Since February, almost two thousand more Rhode Islanders are out of work, and even more than that gave up and left the labor force. The legislature and its enacted budget did nothing to improve the economic climate of the state and arguably made things worse.