Reforming State and Local Tax Systems

The Murphy Institute and the Department of Economics at Tulane University will host a one-day conference titled Reforming State and Local Tax Systems on October 23, 2015 at the InterContinental Hotel in Downtown New Orleans.

This conference will explore new research on state and local tax reforms, including empirical, experimental, and theoretical contributions, in the face of increasing challenges in areas such as the growth of services and internet sales, increased tax competition, greater factor mobility across state (and national) boundaries, and other similar developments. This conference was organized by James Alm and Steven Sheffrin. Below are the presenters and the papers that will be discussed at the conference:

• Andre J. Barbe and George Zodrow, “Efficiency Gains from Comprehensive Sales Tax Reform”
• Ben Brewer, Karen Smith Conway, and Jonathan C. Rork, “Protecting the Vulnerable or Ripe for Reform? State Income Tax Breaks for the Elderly – Then and Now”
• Gary Cornia, Ray Nelson, and Bruce Johnson, “Lessons and Insights from Reforming Utah’s Individual Income Tax”
• Paul Eliason and Byron Lutz, “Can Fiscal Rules Constrain the Size of Government? An Analysis of the “Crown Jewel” of Tax and Expenditure Limitations”
• Andrew Feltenstein, Mark Rider, David L. Sjoquist, and John V. Winters, “Economic and Welfare Effects of Reducing Property Taxes”
• Ronald C. Fisher and Robert W. Wassmer, “Perception of Gasoline Taxes and Driver Cost: Implications for Highway Finance”
• Kim Rueben and Frank Sammartino, “Reforming the State and Local Tax Deduction”
• Kirk J. Stark, “Regional Taxation and Regional Tax Base Sharing in State Tax Reform”

Papers presented at the conference will be published in a special issue of Public Finance Review, subject to the normal refereeing process.