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City Government Just Can’t Get Any Respect
Previously published in the September issue of Memphis Magazine as its City Journal column: City of Memphis is the Rodney Dangerfield of government. Speakers at Memphis City Council and...
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Amendment 3: Enshrining Regressive Taxes in Tennessee
We all know people who are egotistical to the point of arrogance. They think they are always right and only their opinion matters. They always volunteer their advice and opinions to...
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Big Government Intrusion by Tea Party Legislators
We’re urging anyone who understands that constitutions are not amended for political opportunism and the political whims of the day to vote against Amendment 1 and 3. Amendment 1 is an...
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10 Decisions That Made Us Who We Are
We have repeated one of our favorite quotations often: every system is perfectly designed to produce the results that it does. So, what exactly were the decisions made here that produced...
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10 Things That Made Us Who We Are, Part 2
In our last post, we began our list of 10 things that made us who we are today. In that post, we listed three factors (these 10 are in no particular order): * Shelby County Encourages...
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The 10 Things That Made Us Who We Are, Part 3
In our first post, we began our list of 10 things that made us who we are today. In that post, we listed: * Shelby County Encourages Middle Income Families to Leave Memphis * No Commitment...
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10 Things That Made Us Who We Are Today, Part 4
In our first post, we began our list of 10 things that made us who we are today. In that post, we addressed: * Shelby County Encourages Middle Income Families to Leave Memphis * No...
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Getting Off Auto-PILOT With Tax Freezes
We write regularly about how the tax holiday program for corporations in Memphis and Shelby County is broken and how, despite our largesse in doling out approximately $80 million in...
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Getting Directions For The Road To The Middle Class
Greater Memphis Chamber President Phil Trenary, who’s clearly the right person at the right time for that organization, has said rightfully that the way to reduce poverty in Memphis is...
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EDGE Review Needs To Resist Business As Usual
It’s hard to get too excited about the announcement that Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) is undertaking a “top-to-bottom review” of our local payment-in-lieu-of-tax...
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Public Want More Neighborhood Services, Willing to Consider Changes to Police...
Memphians are supportive of changes in police and fire services, but they want more funding for libraries, community centers, and parks. Those were two of the major conclusions from the public polling...
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Cities Consider Commuter Taxes to Drive Up Revenue — 165,679 Commute to...
Note: According to Governing’s data, 42.3% of the Memphis workforce are nonresidents – or 165,679 workers. 43,603 are reverse commuters. From Governing: Taxes on commuters (and reverse commuters)...
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Data Points: House Values and City Budgets
As we’ve written before, City of Memphis government doesn’t so much have a management problem as it has a math problem. That’s why this recent headline in The Commercial Appeal was one of the most...
View ArticleDowntown Columbus Tax Breaks Raise Questions
From Columbus Dispatch: The city of Columbus bypassed $8.3 million in property taxes in 2013 as part of a 12-year-old effort to increase the number of people living Downtown. The neighborhood has...
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Vote for IKEA Puts City Council on EDGE
The controversial approval of the first-of-its kind retail tax abatement in Memphis and Shelby County for IKEA runs the risk of the EDGE board winning the battle and losing the war....
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Prepare Yourselves For The Norris-Kelsey Tax Increase
Sometimes, it’s just hard to understand how some people can sleep at night. Certainly, last night, guilty consciences should have made Tennessee Senators Mark Norris and Brian Kelsey...
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Tennessee’s Upside Down Tax System
A few weeks ago, the lede in the New York Times said: “When it comes to taxes closes to home, the less you earn, the harder you’re hit.” These were the results of an Institute on...
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Finding A Public Profit From Non-Profits
Revenue-starved governments are setting sights on ways to get taxes from hospitals and private universities. That why a lot of people are watching closely a bill proposed in Maine that...
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Finding Memphis and Shelby County’s Competitive Edge
While we have advocated for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to become a key tool in our local economic development toolkit, the recommendation to place the city-county Community...
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“Too few people living on too much land”
The following was published Sunday as a commentary to The Commercial Appeal’s landmark series this week on City of Memphis finances (thanks to Louise Mercuro for the...
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