Fiscal Policy

LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer today will propose a $67 billion state budget that she said would aid Michigan's pandemic recovery by solidifying new programs to attend community college for free, expanding child care assistance and boosting local bridge repairs.The Democratic governor's…

President Joe Biden campaigned on a promise to raise taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations. His core tax proposals will increase taxes on people earning more than $400,000 per year and raise corporations’ tax rates from 21% to 28%. And although his tax plan will impact the bottom line of th

The Republican-controlled Legislature wanted to spread skyrocketing unemployment insurance costs across all taxpayers as a way of helping businesses. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is having none of it.But that's not going to stop the bill from coming due.Whitmer's line-item veto Tuesday of the…

A group of Wayne County residents affected by the pandemic has received an early Christmas present.Wayne County officials on Wednesday distributed $500 one-time payments via debit card to each of about 12,000 restaurant, fitness and entertainment venue employees. Those workers, all Wayne County…

As the pandemic batters the poor, the rich prop up state budgets.

Michigan lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer agreed to a $465 million pandemic spending plan, including relief payments to businesses and workers struggling to stay afloat because of the coronavirus and government restrictions to curb its spread.The legislation, which passed 35-2 in the Senate late…

John Stossel and David Henderson discuss how Canada fixed its debt problem.

The Fed could disappoint at least some market pros who are expecting immediate changes in its bond buying program.

Silicon Valley has been the epicenter of the tech industry for decades, starting in 1938 when Bill Hewlett and David Packard started tinkering in a Palo Alto garage.

‎Show Think Like An Economist, Ep A New Treasury Secretary - Who is Janet Yellen and what will she do? - Nov 23, 2020

‎Show Think Like An Economist, Ep Presidential Econ 101 - A To Do List - Nov 16, 2020

NGPF Activity Bank Taxes Teacher Support Teacher Tip Video Virtual Adaptation Ideas MOVE: Your Tax Dollar in Action Teacher Support Using this Activity in Class The objective of this activity is to teach students how their federal tax dollars are spent using a fun, out-of-their seats, wh...

Try your hand at this nonpartisan online budget simulation that lets you decide both how much to spend on schools, prisons, health care and other state programs, as well as how to pay for those programs.

Do government programs always help? Do the outcomes match the promises? What about the unseen, unintended results? This segment looks at the Cash for Clunkers program, and its results.

Michigan small businesses and agricultural companies that have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak have a new federally backed relief program to tap into. The board of the Michigan Strategic Fund on Tuesday morning authorized a total of $15 million for agricultural businesses, and another …

Thanks to Jessica, knee-deep in updating NGPF's Tax Unit the past few days, for passing along this excellent tax interactive from the National Priorities Project. Budgets are important. Why? One can tell a lot by analyzing them.

Why this could cost lives and set back economic recovery

Former Vice President Joe Biden – the presumptive Democratic nominee for President in the 2020 election – has put forward a variety of tax proposals. Biden would raise the corporate tax rate from 21 to 28 percent, set minimum corporate taxes for domestic and foreign income, restore the top individual tax rate from 37 to 39.6 percent, tax capital gains as ordinary income and at death for very high earners, limit various tax breaks for higher earners, subject wages above $400,000 to the Social Security payroll tax, and pass various other cuts and increases.

Since peaking in December 2012, the number of people participating in SNAP has declined by more than 10 million people.Nationally, SNAP caseloads grew substantially between 2007 and 2013 as more

Detroit Public Television will broadcast Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's first State of the State address live at 7 p.m.

PWBM is a nonpartisan, data-based initiative that provides accessible and transparent economic analysis of public policy.