Missouri and the Show-Me Institute Featured in Rich States Poor States
Dr. Arthur B. Laffer, Stephen Moore, and Jonathan Williams recently published the third edition of Rich States Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index. In this edition, they devoted an entire chapter to a case study on Missouri, “The Missouri Compromise” (PDF), in which they applaud the effort to eliminate state income taxes. From the publication:
As unlikely as it may seem, this middle-aged, middle-income, Midwestern state is pushing the envelope on its way toward fundamental tax reform. […] [A]lthough Missouri’s revenue replacement could prove difficult politically, the benefits from reform could be enormous if the process is administered well and the constitutional amendment is carefully crafted.
In their discussion, the authors cite Prof. Joseph Haslag and Abhi Sivasailam’s recent Show-Me Institute policy study, “Previous Estimates Overstate ‘Fair Tax’ Rates, Harms,” in the appendix.
Laffer, et al., also include a comparison of Missouri and Tennessee, and they provide evidence that Missouri would experience additional growth if it eliminated its personal income tax. From chapter 2:
During the past 10 years, if Missouri had just caught up with the average of the states with no income tax, the average Missouri resident’s income would be more than $12,000 higher. That is amazing. Taxes really do matter. […]
The evidence is clear: States without an income tax outperform in every conceivable fashion than their higher-taxed brethren and have more tax revenues.
Given the data at hand, it is hard to imagine any more conclusive results from a cross-section time series of states that could be obtained in favor of Missouri’s tax proposal. Like many states in our current economic climate, Missouri needs help, and from the looks of it, a switch from onerous income taxes to broad-based sales taxes is exactly what the doctor ordered.
This echoes what Jenifer Roland and Dave Roland concluded in their 2009 policy study for the Show-Me Institute, “All Caught Up: How Tax Policy May Have Allowed Tennessee to Outgrow Missouri.”
The state snapshot for Missouri contains some good news and bad news. In 2008, Missouri’s personal income per capita cumulative growth is higher than the national average, but the state experienced negative net migration for the first time in a decade. This indicates that, when voting with their feet, people are choosing to locate outside of Missouri. On the 2010 ALEC-Laffer State Competitiveness Index, where 1 is the best and 50 is the worst, Missouri has an economic performance rank of 35 and an economic outlook rank of 15.
