By Caleb Taylor ACRE Director and UCA Associate Professor of Economics Dr. David Mitchell recently discussed the role of nurse practitioners in increasing access to care in Arkansas. Arkansas currently ranks 46th on the physician per capita list produced by the Association of American Medical Colleges, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Mitchell stated in an […]
ACRE Review
Arkansas Legislators’ Tax Plan for 2019: Cut Income Tax to 5.9%
By Caleb Taylor Arkansas Legislative Tax Reform and Relief Task Force members voted Wednesday, December 12th to prioritize a plan that includes a cut to the top individual income tax rate from 6.9 to 5.9 percent. The Task Force approved a number of other changes at previous meetings (such as to the corporate income and […]
How fit is Arkansas’s fiscal health?
By. Caleb Taylor Where do Arkansas’s finances rank nationally? Olivia Gonzalez, a research associate for the State and Local Policy Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, spoke Thursday, November 29th about Arkansas’s fiscal health and ranking in the COB Auditorium. According to the Mercatus Center’s latest state fiscal rankings, Arkansas ranks 25th […]
Washington County Makes Transparency a Priority
By Mavuto Kalulu and Terra Aquia Congratulations to Washington County government officials for the good work on publishing public information on their website. According to the transparency index created by the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics (ACRE), not only did Washington County obtain the highest overall score, it led in each of the three […]
What Do Governments Sacrifice to Give Businesses Subsidies?
By Caleb Taylor What are the trade-offs states make when offering economic development incentives to private businesses? Prof. Nathan Jensen discussed this and more on Tuesday, November 13th in the UCA College of Business auditorium to a crowd of over 70 attendees. Jensen is a Professor in the Department of Government at the University of […]
Which Tax Credits Should Arkansas Chop?
By Caleb Taylor Arkansas Tax Reform and Relief Legislative Task Force members discussed three tax credits for possible elimination on Monday, October 29th. The three insurance premium tax credits include the New Market Tax Credit ($16 M), the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit ($1 M) and the Home Office Tax Credit ($61 M). In total, these […]
Would a Minimum Wage Increase Help or Hurt Workers?
By. Dr. David Mitchell and Aaron Newell Would a higher minimum wage be a win for the little guy? Would it help families struggling to earn a living? Would companies let workers go? These are the questions in front of voters in November. A minimum wage is a price floor for low-skilled workers. Businesses must […]
Will legalized sports betting affect state taxes?
By David Mitchell and Doug Walker Based on their recent performance, it’s tempting to bet against the Hogs. If voters approve Issue 4 in November, you will be able to place that bet in future seasons. And while the only poll conducted on Issue 4 last month showed it trailing by a few points, don’t […]
The Cost of Arkansas’s QACF
By Jacob Bundrick Since its creation in 2007, state officials have allocated more than $185.7 million to the Quick Action Closing Fund (QACF). The program, which allows the state to provide discretionary cash grants to select companies, is intended to attract and retain businesses in Arkansas. But have these millions actually increased economic activity? Research […]
How high should the minimum wage be in Arkansas?
By Caleb Taylor How high is too high? That’s the question UCA Assistant Professor of Economics and ACRE Scholar Jeremy Horpedahl considers in two recent media appearances regarding raising the minimum wage in Arkansas. Arkansans will vote on whether to continue to increase the minimum wage in Arkansas to $11 per hour in 2021. Arkansas […]