Mississippi State Government & Agencies
BPF strives to inform citizens and elected officials on its views regarding public policies that benefit or cause hard to Mississippi's economic condition. Bigger Pie believes sound public policy grounded in fiscal responsibility is a cornerstone to successful communities.
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MS Legislative Session
Tax 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.
PERS 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.
More 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.
State 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.
Stopping 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.
Eliminating 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.