In his state of the state address this week Governor Doug Burgum warned that North Dakota isn’t out of the woods yet when it comes to the state budget. That said, a revived oil industry in the state is bringing state policymakers some good news. North Dakota lawmakers just got a report on revenues from…
Popularity of Republican Tax Bill Rises Dramatically, Senator Heidi Heitkamp Hardest Hit
After Obamacare became law Democrats assured us that, as Americans became more familiar with the policy, it would become more popular. That didn’t really happen, mostly because the most visible impacts the law had on people were mostly negative. A lot of people lost their existing coverage or saw big increases in the cost of…
Audio: Farm Bureau President Says Criticism of Tax Bill Is Cover for Heitkamp
In recent days there has been a lot of criticism of the Republican tax bill in Congress and its impact on the agriculture industry. In an interview with the Williston Herald North Dakota Farmer’s Union President Mark Watne suggested that the tax bill will create deficits that will, in turn, result in cuts to farm programs.…
Senator Jessica Unruh: It’s Make or Break Time for Tax Cuts
President Donald Trump is on the verge of wrapping up his campaign to cut taxes. Here in North Dakota, we need all the tax relief we can get. That’s why the president chose our state to help kick off his plan. Pledging “the greatest tax reduction in the history of our country, greater than ever before,”…
Kevin Cramer: Look to North Dakota for Inspiration on National Tax Reform
The United States is emerging from the slowest economic recovery in modern history, but you wouldn’t know it living in North Dakota. Whereas wages have stagnated across the country, the household income in our state exceeds the U.S. average by close to $4,800. Talking heads in Washington love to dismiss our state’s success as merely…
Podcast: ND Tax Commissioner Says Trump Tax Plan Could Impact State Revenues
North Dakota Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger says he generally likes what he’s hearing so far when it comes to the tax reforms President Donald Trump is pursuing. “I’m supporting the effort maybe even more so than a lot of the legislation,” he told me during an interview on my radio show yesterday (info on live…
Governor Doug Burgum: Make America Competitive Again Through Tax Reform
Actions taken by President Trump and his administration during his nearly eight months in office have been a wind at our back for North Dakota’s economy. Whether rolling back overreaching regulations that threatened our coal industry and our farmers’ livelihoods, providing relief for drought-stricken ranchers, or approving pipeline infrastructure that adds value to the North…
Tom Campbell: Why Should President Trump Need to Hold a Rally to Convince Heidi Heitkamp to Support Tax Reform?
I was honored to be at President Trump’s speech in Mandan this week, where he outlined the need for comprehensive tax reform. But he never should have had to make the trip in the first place. As a conservative farmer and businessman, I know President Trump is correct when he says that our tax system…
Ed Schafer: Trump Should Emulate North Dakota on Tax Reform
It’s a great day in North Dakota and I welcome President Trump to the Bismarck and Mandan communities. My hope is he learns about the ND experience and how the tax and regulation policies that have been instituted since the 1990s prepared a foundation for lower cost government, deficit spending elimination and increased business investment…
As Legislative Session Ends North Dakota Still Has More Revenues, and More Spending, Than It Did Before the Oil Boom
Today may very well be the last day of the 2017 legislative session. Lawmakers are hoping to be completed by this evening. We’ll see if that happens, but we hardly need to reach the official end point to conclude that it has been a rough session for the lawmakers and the state. Profligate spending during…