Mississippi State Government
MS Tax Freedom Act of 2022 Bill Proposes Reducing Grocery Tax and Cost of Car Tags
The Mississippi Tax Freedom Act of 2022, authored by House Speaker Philip Gunn, would eliminate the state’s personal income tax, but also would cut some other taxes as well in addition to increasing the state’s sales tax.
Read MorePERS’ Lessons from the Municipal Retirement Systems
Thirty five years after it was closed, MRS still covers 1,510 retirees in 19 cities.
Read MoreAllocating Mississippi’s $1.8 Billion ARPA Funds
This upcoming legislative session promises to be a contentious but historic one as lawmakers allocate $1.8 billion in federal funds given to the state.
Read MoreTie PERS’ COLA to the Rate of Inflation
For decades, the COLA automatically increased as the U.S. dealt with historically low inflation. The solution for the Board of Trustees is simple: Tie PERS’ COLA to the rate of inflation as measured by the CPI.
Read MoreTax Report Contains Fabricated Numbers
As Mississippi Legislators work toward eliminating the personal income tax, they are looking for ways to recoup the resulting reduced revenue. One possible source is the elimination of various tax deductions, exemptions, and credits. But a Bigger Pie Forum (BPF) analysis has found that the Department of Revenue’s official estimates of these deductions, exemptions, and credits are largely fabricated and should not be relied upon by the state legislature.
Read MorePERS Board Votes To Lower Expected Rate of Return
The board of trustees for the state’s Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) made an important, if unheralded, move recently when it voted unanimously to use a somewhat more realistic projection of its rate of return on investments. This matters because an overly optimistic projection can mask a coming decrease in the solvency of the fund, which is already severely under-capitalized.
Read MoreMore Fraud of Taxpayer Dollars — More Accountability Safeguards a Must
Better accountability safeguards need to be part of any discussion of spending, be it on workforce development or luring a new company to the state. Taxpayers need to be able to trace every penny and find out if their money is being spent wisely.
Read MoreState Agency and Program Provider Waste, Fraud and Abuse — More Change Is Needed
In the endless debate over the amount of government assistance given to the poor, one factor that is not frequently discussed is the waste, fraud and other abuse that is perpetrated by providers of these programs – and sometimes by the agencies that fund them.
Read MoreStopping Our Revolving Prison Door
In an unusual move, four legislative committees, two in the House and two in the Senate, are jointly holding a series of hearings to explore ways to reduce recidivism, which is the return to prison by former inmates due to their committing another crime or violating the terms of their release.
Read MoreEliminating Mississippi’s Personal Income Tax
The Mississippi Legislature is pondering eliminating the state’s personal income tax to help supercharge Mississippi’s economy. The theory is that such a move would entice businesses to move to Mississippi or to stay here.
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