“I believe Alabama is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the EV industry.” Those were the words of Alabama Governor Kay Ivey delivering the opening remarks at the Drive Electric Alabama EV Summit this past week. She continued, “We need to lean ...
Lower taxes, better education are keys to attracting business to Alabama, not incentives
The Alabama Jobs Act is set to expire July 31, 2023, meaning that economic incentives could be a major topic of interest during next year’s regular legislative session. The chatter has already begun. Last month, Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Can ...
APR’s Joey Kennedy wrong about Alabama Policy Institute on tax reform — ‘Flat-out lies’
This week, Alabama Political Reporter columnist Joey Kennedy made a patently false attack against the Alabama Policy Institute (API). His main claim was that API's proposed $750 million in tax cuts would only benefit the "rich and weird." Kennedy' ...
ESG and the collapse of the free market
Last month, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined 19 other states in a letter to BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, challenging BlackRock’s use of ESG as investment criteria when managing state pension funds. While many people know what ESG stands ...
Excuses are easy — Meaningful policy change takes bold leadership
As summer turns to fall, the drumbeat for the Alabama Legislature to enact meaningful tax reform legislation has picked up its pace. But there is still no action — only discussion of temporary relief and the same old excuses as to why long-term refor ...
Alabamians deserve more than a one-time tax rebate
“I think they deserve it.” That is what House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) said last week when asked about the possibility of using state government’s record revenue surplus to provide Alabamians with a one-time tax rebate.And h ...
Colleges and universities must increase the value of an education
The annual cost of a college education has increased by 182% in the past 40 years. But are college graduates getting more for their money? It’s a fair question to ask in the wake of President Joe Biden’s announcement that up to $20,000 in student lo ...
API survey reveals lack of transparency in local public schools
Seventy-four percent of school board members who responded to a survey conducted by the Alabama Policy Institute oppose school choice. This is in stark contrast to the overwhelming number of Alabamians, 80%, who desire state-wide school choice expan ...
Systemic problems making it difficult to both work in and attract new workers to Alabama
At the end of July, Alabama’s labor force participation rate was 57.2%. The national average was 62.1%. Just four states rank below Alabama. When Alabama’s labor participation rate is low, we all pay the price. Businesses continue to struggle with st ...
Bold tax reform should be at the top of Alabama lawmakers’ agenda
“Alabama budgets are in great shape.” That was the message last week from the Alabama Legislative Services Agency’s deputy director Kirk Fulford to a joint meeting of the legislative budget committees in Montgomery. If you are in favor of growing Ala ...