By Sven R Larson, Ph.D. The issue of tolling I-80 is once again at the top of the news cycle, courtesy of Senator von Flatern, who wants to add a third lane on each side that would be used by cars and passenger vehicles only. He proposes that tolls charged to Wyoming drivers would be paid through the state's federal mineral royalties. Senator von F...

By Sven R Larson, Ph.D. How would you feel about a new kind of tax to fund our highways, one that was based on the miles you drive? Would you like to see it added to the taxes we already pay? In anticipation of topics that will be discussed in the interim committee season, please take a moment and consider the following idea. Suppose the legislatur...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff The persistent deficits in the federal budget, as well as in the Wyoming state finances, are painful reminders of government overspending. Understandably, we often hear calls for drastic spending reductions, and they will become necessary soon enough, unless we begin reforming our state and local governments in the di...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff In response to questions from a couple of blog readers, here is a short review of the industrial structure of the Wyoming economy. One reader wanted to know how much each industry contributes to our state's economy; the other asked what industries provide the biggest tax base. These two questions are about the same to...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff >>Due to travel, the second part of the report on government revenue has been postpone one week.<< Private-sector employment in Wyoming is up by 5,000 in January 2019 over the same month a year earlier. This 2.4-percent increase is the largest since 2015. The construction industry led the state in jobs cre...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff As I have noted on a couple of occasions now, 2019 is shaping up to be a great year to start reforming government spending here in Wyoming. Two sessions in a row, the legislature has rejected massive tax hikes and even refused to appoint a commission to overhaul our tax system. Time is ripe to talk about spending refo...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff This year is a great time to discuss the future of Wyoming, especially in terms of what role government should play in our state's economy. On February 22 I proposed a list of topics for this conversation, ranging from comprehensive transparency and efficiency reforms to school choice and free-market reforms in health...

by Philip Baron According to a Wyoming Taxpayers Association report, that was distributed to the legislators in the 2019 session, a three-person household pays in $3,070 in taxes and receives $27,600 in public services. This analysis only considers taxes as a source of revenue and does not look at all of the funding through fees and other sources o...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff The Bureau of Labor Statistics is slightly behind in releasing state and county level employment data. We will have state-level numbers for January on March 11 and the February numbers on March 22. We can also look forward to the county-level numbers for the third and fourth quarters of 2018. In the meantime, here is ...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff The Wyoming legislature killed every major proposal for higher taxes, from a sales tax on services and higher property taxes to new special districts with taxation powers and a corporate income tax. This is good news for two reasons, the first being that we may now see a shift in the public conversation about ways to ...