Russ Latino of Empower Mississippi writes about how his state’s new tax reform provides a model for others to follow:
At the core of the tax debate was a philosophical question about whether that dependency would ever result in meaningful prosperity. Past performance and present condition — the worst labor-force-participation rate, lowest income levels, highest poverty, and second-shortest life expectancy in the nation — suggested it would not. If not, the quandary then became one about what conditions might create an atmosphere for growth and opportunity. The conclusion was to believe in people as the primary drivers of wellbeing — to better empower them to invest in their families, their businesses and their communities.
The move of our legislature, while it may on its face look typical of a red state, represents a paradigm shift for Mississippi. It also may prove to be a model for other states, not only with the simplicity, efficiency, and fairness of its reform, but on the value of honest, hard discourse that leads to the development of better ideas.
Read the whole thing here.