Jefferson Journal: Mutated By COVID, Unemployment Insurance Unsustainable
America’s and Virginia’s unemployment insurance program — born of the Great Depression and the Social Security Act of 1935 — may be another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus has mutated unemployment insurance into a form not financially sustainable.
Jefferson Journal: The Revolution Has Been Postponed, Not Cancelled
Governor Ralph Northam has asked the General Assembly to put off until May 1, 2021 the implementation of several key pro-union changes in Virginia’s labor and employment laws, including a 31 percent increase in the minimum wage. But the revolution has merely been postponed, not cancelled.
Jefferson Journal: Keep Cash Flowing
The government actions taken to flatten the coronavirus pandemic will most effect the smallest of businesses, as well as part-time and lower income workers such as restaurant wait staff, and ‘gig’ economy workers without benefits. Here’s how you can help.
Jefferson Journal: Raising the Price on School and Road Construction
Virginia faces billions in expenses for road, bridge and school repair. Why are so many politicians willing to raise the cost of that construction so less construction can be done?
The Jefferson Journal: Bring Tax Reform Debate Back for Round Two
Sometimes you have to start the victory lap, even if you only get halfway around the track. A year ago, the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy was beating the drum for a proposal to double the state’s standard deduction, the amount of family income exempt from income tax. It was part of a broader […]
The Jefferson Journal: Conformity Flooding State With Cash
What will you do with your $110? Thanks to the conformity revenue flood, it’s coming …
Jefferson Journal: The State of Taxaginia: Taxes Times Four
The Virginia General Assembly partially reversed one tax hike that was coming towards Virginia taxpayers. But three other tax increases are all on track, and they will likely cost citizens and businesses $1 billion per year.
Jefferson Journal: Equal Access for Teachers?
Should Virginia teachers hae equal access to any legitimate employee association offering professional support, insurance and other benefits, so they can find the best deal for their money? Senator William DeSteph thinks so. The teacher unions prefer to maintain their monopoly.
New Jefferson Commentaries Make Case for Tax Reform
In two new Thomas Jefferson Institute commentaries published on opposite sides of the state, Institute scholars make the case for tax reform in Virginia. In a commentary originally published in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, Institute president Michael W. Thompson points out that the new “tax windfall” coming to Virginia as a result of federal tax […]
Jefferson Journal: Tax Conformity Alone Is Not Enough
When the General Assembly meets in January, it should fully conform Virginia’s tax system to the new federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but it shouldnot stop there. It should also take immediate steps to reduce the state tax increases that conforming the tax code will automatically create for many Virginia families and businesses.