TEASER - By Emma Rindlisbacher, includes “Democrats are threatening to hold up President Joe Biden’s signature infrastructure plan, which relies heavily on tax increases, in the hopes that Biden will eliminate the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction.”

Includes “Senate President J. Stuart Adams issued the following statement … ‘Utah’s strong economy is a result of smart, conservative economic tax policy. For the 14th year in a row, Utah secured the top ranking for economic outlook in ALEC’s Rich States, Poor States, validating the hard work and dedication of former and current lawmakers.”

By Jonathan Williams, Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore, includes “The new edition finds that even through the pandemic, states with policies such as low or no income taxes and worker freedom are more economically competitive and better positioned for wage growth, job creation and domestic in-migration compared to states with higher taxes and government spending.”

By Laura Davison, includes “Residents of New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut will face the highest tax burdens over a lifetime, according to a new study.”

By Angela Couloumbis, Joseph DiStefano and Craig McCoy, includes “… The documents lay bare the scope of the probe and reveal that prosecutors and the FBI are investigating possible “honest services” fraud and wire fraud. Under a key 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, federal prosecutors would need proof of illegal payments to charge state officials with the crime of not providing honest service, criminal-law experts say.”

By Caleb Pehrne, includes “The Tennessee comptroller's office is re-launching a statewide dashboard giving you a look inside county finances. The state dashboard shows most county governments in our region have about $1,000 of debt per person, a little higher than the state average. …"
 

By Dan Doonan and Elizabeth Wiley, includes “Hybrid retirement plans for state and local government employees are not new, but have received increased attention in recent years as jurisdictions have sought to modify retirement benefits, whether for cost concerns or other objectives.”

By Mary Williams Walsh, includes “The Pennsylvania teachers’ retirement fund put more than half its assets into risky alternative investments. The math didn’t work out, spurring an investigation. ” 

By David Sirota, includes “Are taxpayers and retirees willing to give billions of dollars to financial firms in exchange for the potentially false perception of financial stability? ”

By Christian Britschgi, includes “… Perhaps as intended, the checks are forcing Newsom's Republican opponents … to perform some awkward political contortions as they try to criticize the governor without coming out against free money..”