By April Liu and Virginia Fournari The individual is both the creator and user of her own data. Companies collect personal data, use it for various purposes like improving products and anticipating consumer behavior, and return those benefits to consumers. Big Tech’s multi-faceted uses of data generate new economic value, prompting questions on how consumers can be fairly … [Read more...] about Taxation in the Data Economy: The “Invisible” Competition
Tax
Millions of DoorDash Customers Hit with “Regulatory Response Fees” After New Laws Totally Backfire
By Brad Polumbo Your wallet may take an extra hit the next time you order dinner via the popular food delivery app DoorDash, courtesy of your helpful local government officials. That is, if you live in St. Louis, Chicago, Seattle, or one of the other 57 localities where DoorDash customers just got hit with a $1 to $2.50 “regulatory response fee” on every order. How did … [Read more...] about Millions of DoorDash Customers Hit with “Regulatory Response Fees” After New Laws Totally Backfire
California Now Wants to Tax People Who Live in Other States, Too
By Gary Galles California’s government has become infamous for abusing its citizens, from steep taxation to burdensome regulations to arbitrary covid impositions. But less noticed is how it is also trying to abuse other Americans as well. As reported in a December 28 Los Angeles Times editorial, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), which … [Read more...] about California Now Wants to Tax People Who Live in Other States, Too
Taxing Workers for Staying Home: A Policy Rooted in Envy
By Chloe Anagnos Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, working from home is the new normal. In 2018, just 5.4% of the US's working population worked remotely. By mid-2020, it had turned into reality for 56 percent of the workforce. While not all workers forced to stay home were quick to welcome the change, many learned to enjoy it over time. With state governments … [Read more...] about Taxing Workers for Staying Home: A Policy Rooted in Envy
NM Public Schools Are Missing 12K Students and They Want Them Back — Is It All About the Money?
By Linnea Johnson Public schools have had a chance to evaluate student attendance data and have found “missing students” between the Spring and Fall semesters of this school year. You might ask why they are concerned about this fact. Is it because they are concerned about students who are not getting an education? Is it because they feel the need to “protect” those … [Read more...] about NM Public Schools Are Missing 12K Students and They Want Them Back — Is It All About the Money?
New Jersey Slaps Lyft With $16 Million Tax Bill, Continuing Pressure On “Gig Economy” Business Model
By Tyler Durden While Uber and Lyft may have found some respite on Election Day, with California voters allowing the two companies to continue to function as "gig" companies that don't need to take on the liabilities of employing their independent contractors, that doesn't mean the ridesharing giants won't face continued business model pressures elsewhere in the … [Read more...] about New Jersey Slaps Lyft With $16 Million Tax Bill, Continuing Pressure On “Gig Economy” Business Model
Seattle Just Passed a New Tax on Jobs in the Middle of an Economic Crisis—But Exempted Government Workers
By Brad Polumbo The city of Seattle is already struggling. With a new tax on jobs, its city council seems determined to make things even worse. The COVID-19 pandemic and local government lockdowns economically decimated Washington state in March, with Seattle hit especially hard in the early days of the virus’s spread. In the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak, … [Read more...] about Seattle Just Passed a New Tax on Jobs in the Middle of an Economic Crisis—But Exempted Government Workers
One Year Into “Soda Tax,” Researchers Find No Impact On Consumption
One year into Philadelphia's 1.5-cents-per-ounce "soda tax," new findings show that the law had minimal to no influence on what Philadelphians are drinking. The results were published this month in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health from researchers at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health. The team conducted a random phone … [Read more...] about One Year Into “Soda Tax,” Researchers Find No Impact On Consumption
States That Tax The Most Are Getting The Worst Results Per Dollar
By Tyler Durden Today in "more definitive proof that the government can't spend your capital as well as you can" news, it should come as no surprise that states who spend less in taxes are getting better results, per dollar, than similarly sized states who collect far more in tax revenue. At least that was the result of looking at the country's four largest states: … [Read more...] about States That Tax The Most Are Getting The Worst Results Per Dollar
Sin Taxes & Other Orwellian Methods of Compliance That Feed the Government’s Greed
By John W. Whitehead “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for … [Read more...] about Sin Taxes & Other Orwellian Methods of Compliance That Feed the Government’s Greed
What Vexes Small Business More than Taxes and Regulations?
By Jeffrey A. Tucker The latest survey of small business contains a surprise. Or maybe it is not a surprise if you are or know a small business owner. Over the last six years, the concerns of taxes and regulations are being eclipsed by a new number-one concern: the lack of quality in the workforce. Now, what does quality in staffing mean? It could mean skills. In the … [Read more...] about What Vexes Small Business More than Taxes and Regulations?
The High Price of a “Free Lunch”
By Frank Hollenbeck One of the Ten Commandments is “thou shalt not steal,” and theft is generally condemned in most religions, yet our religious leaders and followers have essentially turned a blind eye to government theft. Based on a policy of envy, Bernie Sanders, for example, has bluntly stated he intends to tax the rich to fund his programs, as though the word rich … [Read more...] about The High Price of a “Free Lunch”