We are getting a new forecast this week for tax revenues in North Dakota. Or so we are told. I’ve written about the problems with these forecasts in the past, but there is a further issue here needing discussion. The simple fact of the matter is a lack of good practice in the overall approach, particularly with how forecast results are disseminated.
Just a few further thoughts, as yet completely unrefined, about the radio program today. The major discussion on the radio today was taxes. This is always an interesting topic because callers often provide multiple, and often contradictory, views of taxation. It is good that radio is not a visual medium (for many, many reasons) but the confused look on my face when listening to some of the callers would not be taken well I am sure.
I had some special assignments come up recently at UND that took up most of my time. I will be back to posting regularly ASAP.
This is something that JT and I talk about quite often relating sports and economics. The public subsidies for sporting arenas are difficult to make up in the best of circumstances, and are equally (if not more difficult) to quantify. Our sports facility management class actually attempts to address some of these issues.
Continue reading The Economist | Subsidising professional sports: If you fund it, they may come
The Bureau of Labor Statistic released updated data for North Dakota today, and as promised I am posting an update to the data from last week. Not much changed really. The preliminary unemployment rate for December 2016 is 3.0% which is the same as the revised rate for November. The November value was originally 2.9%. We are not going to get upset by a .1% revision.