Each year we produce the State Business Tax Climate Index, which promotes taxA tax is a mandatory payment or charge collected by local, state, and national governments from individuals or businesses to cover the costs of general government services, goods, and activities. competition between the states and motivates policymakers to reform their tax systems toward pro-growth policies. Over the past few years, the Index has prompted meaningful tax reforms in states such as North Carolina, New York, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Indiana, Texas, and the District of Columbia.
Today, we were named as one of six finalists for the prestigious Templeton Freedom Award. The Award is given to “the most exceptional and innovative contributions to the understanding of free enterprise, and the public policies that encourage prosperity, innovation and human fulfillment via free competition.” The nomination is for the Index and its success in informing and shaping state policy reforms.
We are humbled to be recognized so prominently. The competition for the Award is very intense and this happened thanks to all those who helped us build our program fighting for better tax policy in the 50 states. Our vision is a tax system that doesn’t stand in the way of success. No state is there completely, but our Index rankings are constantly pushing states to move in that direction.
The other finalists are: the Acton Institute (United States), the Center of Dissemination of Economic Knowledge for Freedom (Venezuela), Free Market Foundation (South Africa), Institute for Justice (United States), and the Institute of Public Affairs (Australia).
The winner of the 2015 Templeton Freedom Award will receive $100,000 and be honored at Atlas Network’s annual Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner in New York City on Nov. 11–12, 2015. You can follow the conversation on social media using the hashtags: #TempletonFreedomAward and #LFFD15.
Read the full announcement of the Award finalists here.
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