Fixing Roads and Forecasting Revenues, with Michigan Treasurer Rachael Eubanks

04/10/23 • 38 min

We continue our conversations with state Treasurers, this time with Michigan Treasurer Rachael Eubanks. She explains how appointed treasurers are different, how her office is helping to "Fix the Damn Roads," forecasting revenues in an uncertain economy, and why spiffing up your vacation cottage is good tax policy, among lots of other topics. In Ripped from the Headlines we discuss South Carolina's $3.5 billion cash mishap.

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Tax Incentives - "Bad Policy, Good Politics," with Nathan Jensen

We reflect on the "plus ça change" of state and local tax incentives. Professor Nathan Jensen of the University of Texas-Austin (and Justin's fellow Wisconsinite/Green Bay Packers shareholder) explains why tax incentives are "bad policy but good politics," with focus on why elected officials can't seem to get enough of them, why less is more for incentive transparency, and how the federal government may have accidentally set off the next generation of incentive wars, among many other topics. In Ripped from the Headlines we revisit the promises made and promises kept on Amazon's "HQ2" sweepstakes.

Link to the article referenced in Ripped from the Headlines: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-21/amid-stalled-construction-in-national-landing-amazon-gets-no-hq2-incentives

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Season 1 Retrospective

We look back on our first 25 episodes and focus on lessons learned and surprising moments. Key themes include: the expanding definition of infrastructure, the expanding role of big data in state/local finance, the ongoing effects of economic uncertainty, and the human side of financial leadership.