Conference Call For Freedom

Earlier today, I participated in a conference call with Steve Forbes, who was promoting his latest book. Forbes talked about the morality of free markets and how entrepreneurs can create abundance for all of society, much like what Arthur Brooks said during the most recent Show-Me Institute Speaker Series. Forbes stressed the necessity of tax reform and advocated for simplifying the tax code.

I asked Forbes about the tornado of tax cuts that have recently swept across Kansas. He stated that what Kansas is doing is highly important and that states have a tendency to imitate successful actions that their neighbors implement. He used welfare reform as an example of one state enacting a significant policy change and other states following suit. Missouri should be following Kansas’ lead, just as Oklahoma and Nebraska are considering doing.

Missouri already lags behind its neighbors economically. In the past, we have argued that the state should eliminate its corporate income tax in order to boost Missouri’s economic growth. The Show-Me Institute has also examined ways that Missouri could eliminate the income tax entirely.

Missouri’s neighbors are moving forward. The state is at a decision point; will it make real changes or will it stick to the status quo?