Author Archives: Stephen D. Haner

About Stephen D. Haner

Steve Haner is Senior Fellow for State and Local Tax Policy for the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy. He is a former reporter, lobbyist, state employee and political advisor, with an emphasis on tax and business issues. He may be reached at blackwalnut140@live.com.

State’s Strand of Budget Worry Beads Capped by Expanded Medicaid

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Stephen D. Haner

Call them the Secretary of Finance’s worry beads.  It is easy to imagine Aubrey Layne putting his fingers on one bead on the strand after another as he asks the economic powers outside his control to smile on Virginia and … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care | Comments Off on State’s Strand of Budget Worry Beads Capped by Expanded Medicaid

Voters Should Say “No” to New Carbon Tax

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Stephen D. Haner

Virginia should not join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.  Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax is now fully authorized under a new state regulation, and the deadline to appeal that regulation has passed with no … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Taxes | Comments Off on Voters Should Say “No” to New Carbon Tax

Calling It What It Is: A $450 Million Windfall Tax Hike!

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Stephen D. Haner

Virginia state government ended Fiscal Year 2019 awash in cash largely for one reason: A $466 million tax increase that fell on about 30 percent of individual taxpayers, caused by conforming to the new federal tax law without any corresponding … Continue reading →

Posted in Taxes | 1 Comment

Real Medicare Doesn’t Match Political Promises

Posted on August 13, 2019 by Stephen D. Haner

We had been on Medicare exactly two days when our first premium increase notice arrived, a nice healthy 5% jump. This isn’t the Medicare Heaven that I keep hearing about from the presidential contenders. I want that Medicare, the idyllic … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care | 1 Comment

Sense and Nonsense on Climate Armageddon

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Stephen D. Haner

A good sense discussion on the Most Important Threat in Human History was provided July 14 in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, in a guest column from a retired University of Richmond biology professor. Few discussions of the climate change controversy have … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | 2 Comments