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The Growth and volatility of state tax revenue sources in the tenth district

With the sluggishness in the national economy in 2008, many state governments are projecting budget shortfalls for the 2009 fiscal year. This trend is a concern to policymakers, as the health of a state's tax revenues is important to its economic growth and its ability to finance the public services that residents demand. State governments provide physical infrastructure, educate the future workforce, and protect people and property. In addition, in the Tenth Federal Reserve District, state and local governments employ over 16 percent of the workforce. While a number of factors influence the growth and volatility of state tax revenues, one key determinant is the composition of each state's tax portfolio. Governments desire a portfolio of tax instruments that allows for revenues to grow with the economy so that spending demands can be met without much change in tax rates. At the same time, stability in the revenue stream is important so that governments are not left with large financing constraints during downturns. Felix analyzes the impact of portfolio composition on the growth and stability of state tax revenues, particularly in the states that make up the Tenth District. She uses long-run and short-run elasticity estimates to analyze the growth and stability of each tax instrument and discusses implications for Tenth District states..Printed journal

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