RELEVANCY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES IN THE POLICY ARENA: IMPLICATIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS: DISCUSSION

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Evaluation of Major State Taxes in Missouri

This brief examines the four most important sources of tax revenue for the state, three of which, the individual income tax, sales and use taxes, and the corporate income tax, comprise over 90% of the moneys credited to the general revenue fund. The general revenue fund is the source from which appropriations are made for education, public assistance including Medicaid, mental health services, and general governmental functions. The motor fuel tax is the fourth tax examined here

Evaluating Tax Systems

One function of government is to provide the goods and services (police, courts, education, roads, economic security, etc) that individuals need and want but are unable to obtain from the private sector. In order to provide these services, the government must impose taxes to pay for them. A state can tax virtually anything that it chooses but the objective is to develop taxes and a tax system that serve the broad needs of society in an efficient, fair and impartial way. Several attributes of taxes are widely accepted as criteria for evaluating the impacts of taxes on society and the economy. These criteria are: economic efficiency, economic competitiveness, administrative simplicity, adequacy, and equity. No tax is ideal with respect to all these criteria and each citizen views the taxes differently based on the taxes they pay and the benefits they receive. Consequently, selecting taxes and designing a tax system for state and local revenues is a process of trade-off and compromise

Missouri's Sales, Personal Income and Corporate Income Taxes

Graphic presentation concerning Missouri sales, personal income, and corporate taxes. Data representations include maps, charts, tables and graphs

PROPERTY TAX AND TAX REFORM IN TEXAS: AN EQUITY CONCERN

The Governor of Texas has proposed a tax reform that lowers property tax and eliminates the franchise tax. The lost revenues are replaced by raising the sales tax and instituting a modified value-added tax. The issues are not unique to Texas, many states are considering tax issues. The current tax system is based on an economy that no longer exists and is not providing sufficient revenues. Given the changed economy of the state, modification of the tax system is reasonable. But the proposal increases regressive taxes and decreases the only progressive tax in the system. Overall the proposal is more regressive than the existing tax system.Agricultural and Food Policy,

SEASONAL MIGRATION OF RETIREES: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Anecdotes suggest that tourism experiences may affect the migration decisions of retirees. Seasonal migration by retirees may be an intermediate step between tourism and permanent migration. A review of the literature on seasonal migration finds that some seasonal migrants become permanent migrants. In general, seasonal and permanent migrants come from two separate migration streams and are two different lifestyles. Seasonal migration generally does not lead to permanent migration.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR MARRIED FEMALE LABOR: RURAL AND URBAN DIFFERENCES IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES

This study examined the supply of and demand for married female labor in the southern United States. Special attention was given to differences in labor force participation, labor supply, and quantities of labor supplied and demanded across rural and urban areas. Once state effects were accounted for, decisions to change participation were found not to vary by urban-rural designation. Differences in demand were fully captured by an intercept shifter and the variations in hours supplied by married females between urban and rural areas. Labor supply varied greatly with the effects of key determinants (number of children, work force experience, family income) being strongly different in rural areas. Different policies are needed to promote female labor supply in rural areas as opposed to urban areas.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital,

TOURISM AND RETIREMENT MIGRATION

Anecdotes suggest that tourism may play a role in the decision of retirees to migrate. This paper reviews the literature to determining if research supports the anecdotal evidence. Much of the literature on retiree migration only superficially addresses this issue, and thus cannot be viewed as definitive. This literature does not suggest a strong link between tourism and later migration decisions. There is a small body of research that directly specifically addresses this issue. This research is carefully designed, based on a migration decision-making framework. It does show that tourism experiences have an impact at several stages in the decision process. Tourism experiences are used both to identify and eliminate potential locations.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY AND OFF-FARM EMPLOYMENT OF FARM OPERATORS

Employment history affects subsequent choices. Based on their original job choice, operators are divided into farmers and workers. Equations are estimated to determine their probabilities of working off-the-farm. Education increased the probability that workers work off-the-farm, whereas vocational training increases farmers' probability. The probability of working off-the-farm decreases as unearned income increases, and its impact on workers is larger than on farmers. An employed spouse increases the probability that farmers work off-the-farm, but has the opposite impact for workers. Employment density increases the probability that workers will work off-the-farm.Off-farm employment, Part-time farming, Small farms, Labor and Human Capital,

TEXAS TAXES: A COMPARISON WITH OTHER STATES

This document is part of an educational series on Texas taxes. State and local taxes in Texas are compared with those of the fifty states and the District of Columbia. Taxes are compared per capita and per $1,000 of personal income. The taxes include: all state and local taxes, property taxes, sales and gross receipts taxes, personal income taxes, corporate income taxes and corporate franchise taxes. For each tax the national average, median, maximum and minimum are given along with the corresponding tax for Texas and Texas's rank nationally. Texas state revenue comes primarily from the sales tax and local revenue from the property tax. It is one of only four states with neither a corporate nor a personal income tax. For all state and local taxes, Texas ranks 35th per capita and 40th per$1,000 of personal income. Despite this relatively low rank among all states, tax reform is a continuing priority issue in Texas. The reason for this may be the heavy reliance on sales and property taxes to support state and local governmental services. While the overall tax burden is relatively low, the burden of these two taxes ranks relatively high and may disadvantage certain industries.Public Economics,