Product Review

State tax systems are in trouble. Revenue collecting methods developed more than a half century ago are straining to deal with 21st century economies. Globalization and e-commerce are changing the way people work and purchase goods; devolution has steadily shifted responsibility from the federal government to the states; tax incentives have become the weapon of choice in the battle to attract business investment. All of this, in an environment where antitax messages have become a staple of political campaigns, have made creating tax policy more challenging than ever before. In the updated third edition of State Tax Policy: A Political Perspective, David Brunori analyzes these and other critical challenges facing state governments. He identifies the important issues, and examines possible solutions in formulating and implementing state tax policy.