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By Tim Clouser | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Amid a push to raise the annual cap on property tax increases statewide, Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, wants the Legislature to exempt around 500,000 senior citizens altogether.  Fortunato proposed Senate Bill 5020 earlier this month. If approved, the measure would exempt all “real property” owned

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Personal income tax for North Carolinians drops another quarter-percentage point this year to 4.25%, one of several laws enacted by the turn of the calendar to 2025. Legislation routinely has effective dates that are immediate, or on the first day of a month at

By J.D. Davidson | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Ohio officials closed the year announcing 14 projects across the state expected to bring more than 1,000 new jobs and retain nearly 3,000 positions. The economic development projects represent nearly $300 million in private business investment, and each received the potential for tax breaks based

By Morgan Sweeney | The Center Square (The Center Square) — Maryland was found to be the 11th-most indebted state between 2020 and 2022, despite its small size, according to a recent study. The largest states were among the leading states in total debt from fiscal year 2020 to 2022, according to the Reason Foundation, a

By Elyse Apel | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Colorado reported lower than average year-over-year change in prices in 2024, according to a new report from the state’s Legislative Council Staff. While the national average at the end of 2024 was 2.7% inflation, Colorado’s was 2%. Colorado inflation was measured using prices in the

By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Tennessee’s unemployment rate is up slightly, but 91 of 94 counties still have a rate of less than 5%, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state unemployment rate for November is 3.5%. Eight counties were at 3% or below. Moore

By Steve Wilson | The Center Square (The Center Square) — According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the seasonally-adjusted jobless rate in Florida was 3.4% in November, 0.1 %age points higher than last month. That’s still lower than the national rate of 4.2%. Out of a labor force of more than

By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square (The Center Square) – An Illinois law banning banks and credit card companies from charging swipe fees on taxes and tips continues to play out in court. A U.S. District Court judge has issued a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act on

By Zachery Schmidt | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square ) – California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 21 other attorneys general filed an amicus brief supporting the federal government’s ability to raise the minimum wage for federal contractors. In the case Nebraska v. Su, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – Property owners will see about a dozen of the nearly 300 new Illinois laws taking effect Jan. 1, impacting them and their relationships with tenants.  House Bill 4768 prohibits landlords from retaliating against a tenant, if that tenant complains about living conditions. On

By Nolan McKendry | The Center Square (The Center Square) − Louisiana’s economy continues to show steady growth, with over 20,000 jobs added in the past year, according to new data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of November 2024, the state’s seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment reached 1,971,200 jobs, up by 20,600

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois employers are bracing for minimum-wage hikes, which may lead to more job cuts around the state. Illinois’ minimum wage is rising from $14 per hour to $15 on Jan 1, the final increase in a series of annual increases from a law Gov. J.B.

By J.D. Davidson | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Ohioans working for minimum wage will get another Christmas present in a week. The state’s minimum wage rises by 25 cents on Jan. 1, going to $10.70 an hour to account for inflation. The current Ohio minimum wage for tipped employees is $5.25 per hour

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square (The Center Square) – After the new year, Illinois legislators are scheduled back to wrap up the 103rd General Assembly. The so-called “lame duck” session is also a time when some warn things could pass with legislators who have no more accountability to taxpayers. Closing out the fall

By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Despite being criticized for being a waste of time, a new commission will be created Jan. 1 to evaluate Illinois’ property tax system.  State Rep. Mary Beth Canty’s legislation creates the commission that will include members of the Illinois Department of Revenue and the

By Carleen Johnson | The Center Square (The Center Square) – In the final hours of the season’s Christmas shopping madness, there’s a good chance many Americans are breaking out credit cards to pay for last-minute gifts, holiday meals or travel expenses. A WalletHub study revealed nearly half of Americans are still paying off debt

By Morgan Sweeney | The Center Square (The Center Square) — Congress concluded a decades-long effort when it passed the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, a bill rolling back two provisions that cosponsor Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., said shortchanged government workers. Congress added the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset to the Social Security

By Tim Clouser | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Senate Democrats are asking their peers to help “spread that tax policy love around” as they hope to close a $16 billion shortfall with new taxes in a leaked email on Friday.  Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, sent the message just days after Gov. Jay Inslee

By Elyse Apel | The Center Square (The Center Square) – A new study found that Colorado parents spend more per child than the national average this holiday season. Parents nationwide are expected to spend $461 per child, compared to Colorado’s $538 per child. This is according to a survey from CouponBirds. Debt will play a

By Elyse Apel | The Center Square (The Center Square) – A new study found Michigan parents spend more per child than the national average this Christmas. Parents nationwide are expected to spend $461 per child, compared to Michigan’s $588 per child. This is according to a survey from CouponBirds.  Even though parents are not expecting

By Steve Wilson | The Center Square (The Center Square) — A check of the Automobile Association of America’s gas prices finds Florida’s price at the pump is slightly below the national average two days before Christmas. For a gallon of regular in the Sunshine State, the average price was $2.99, a nickel cheaper than

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Mercurial strategies of President-elect Donald Trump are sending Bo Hines into the new White House administration. Hines, once endorsed by Trump and once in a primary where his opponent got the coveted nod, was announced Sunday as the pick for executive director of the