ARLINGTON, VA  :  The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) releases today with economists Dr. Arthur B. Laffer, Stephen Moore, and ALEC Chief Economist Jonathan Williams, the 11^th edition of Rich States, Poor States, which annually examines the latest trends in state economic growth and competitiveness. This projection is based on 15 policy variables, which span from tax rates to regulatory burdens and from labor policies to state debt levels. These variables are proven by rigorous economic research to significantly influence long-term prosperity.

“Federal tax reform has provided states with a golden opportunity to use the momentum to make themselves more competitive as well. If states refuse to unchain their markets – if they decide to stand still – the states actively competing for jobs with recent tax reform such as Iowa, Georgia, Idaho and Missouri will leave them in the dust,” said Williams. “Free market policies work and it is clear from the ongoing successes of no-income-tax states like Texas, Tennessee and Florida how states need to enact policies which put taxpayers first.”

With the 2018 election almost guaranteeing gridlock in Washington, D.C., the states will be ever more present leading the way. Rich States, Poor States explains the measurable success of pro-growth policies in the states where they are implemented. States refusing to adopt market-oriented reforms will fall behind the states that will.