Nebraskanomics

Valentine, Nebraska Mayor Kyle Arganbright, Dr. Emily Hamilton of the Mercatus Center, Kathy Mesner of Mesner Development, and Grace Thomas of the Verdis Group and Omaha's Missing Middle Housing Campaign discuss the role housing will play in the growth of Nebraska communities, and in some cases, their economic survival.

With more than 50,000 jobs currently available in Nebraska, Jim discusses ways to remove barriers to welcoming more workers to Nebraska with Navy veteran and electrician Mike Beyer.

Tax attorney Tom Yamachika of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii explains how the types of taxes states have, or the way they are designed, can cause states to lose revenue or to impose higher tax rates than necessary.

William Glasgall and former New York Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch of the Volcker Alliance join Jim to discuss why a major influx of federal money might be mismanaged under current local government financial practices.

In our last episode, we discussed some of the practical and economic reasons why Nebraska should eliminate more of its sales tax exemptions. Now, let’s talk about crafting a vision for a better tax system and how modernizing the sales tax fits into any plan to make bold changes in our state. Tune into the latest episode of Nebraskanomics to watch Making Cents: Why Nebraska Should Modernize the Sales Tax, Part 2. In this episode, you’ll discover five reasons why modernizing the sales tax is a key for tax reform in Nebraska.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, and we welcome your questions or comments. But changing the way we pay for government in Nebraska will allow our state to compete with fast-growing states that have more attractive tax policies, while maintaining our commitment to the public services Nebraskans value.

Click to listen to the episode.

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If you want more economic freedom in Nebraska, please make a donation to help fund our research and advocacy.

Most people take for granted that the sales tax is the tax we pay when we buy things. But if you look carefully at your receipts, you’ll begin to notice most of the things you buy in Nebraska don’t have sales tax collected on them. This is also known as a sales tax exemption.

On one hand, you might say “hey, that’s great, one place I’m finally getting a tax break.” On the other hand, Nebraska has many other high tax rates, and complex taxes that other states just don’t have.

In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, about 58% of Nebraska’s state general fund revenue came from income taxes, while 38% was sales tax. That’s a difference of just under $1 billion. On top of that, Nebraska local governments levy $4.5 billion in local property taxes annually.

Sales tax exemptions contribute to these problems, putting higher taxes on our workforce, housing, and investing in Nebraska.

Tune into the latest episode of Nebraskanomics, Making Cents: Why Nebraska Should Modernize the Sales Tax, Part 1.

In this episode, I’m going to discuss the reasons why Nebraska should modernize its sales tax so that there are fewer exemptions and more options for removing barriers in Nebraska’s tax system. There are actually more reasons than I have time to share with you on a single episode of Nebraskanomics, so this will be a two-part series.

Here are the three reasons we’ll discuss on this episode:

But even though there is broad agreement on these principles, that doesn’t mean tax experts agree on what should be done with the money the sales tax raises. Tune in to our next episode, where I’ll discuss how sales tax modernization can help Nebraska have a better tax system that is simple, sustainable, and supports economic growth.

Click to listen to the episode.

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If you want more economic freedom in Nebraska, please visit PlatteInstitute.org to make a donation to help fund our research and advocacy.

❌It’s time to stop the status quo.

Let’s remove economic barriers and make Nebraskans proud.

Nebraska Angels Executive Director Steph Luebbe discusses the growth of angel investing in Nebraska and the resources available for firm founders and aspiring entrepreneurs.

A new nonprofit journalism outlet will to help fill gaps in Nebraska's media market by telling statewide stories and improving government transparency. Former USA Today and Omaha World-Herald data journalist Matt Wynn discusses the launch of The Flatwater Free Press.

With a recent legislative change in Iowa, Nebraska will become the only state west of the Mississippi to levy an inheritance tax. Jim Vokal reviews the causes of Nebraska's unique situation, what Nebraskans think about the tax, and practical advice lawmakers can use to end this 19th-century-inspired tax.

The property tax transparency law called Truth in Taxation is new to Nebraska, but a similar law has been on the books in Utah since 1985. Two Utah-based experts, Rusty Cannon of the Utah Taxpayers Association, and former Utah state Sen. Howard Stephenson, join Jim to discuss how the policy has worked in the Beehive State and what pointers they have for Nebraska taxpayers.