Tax increases need to be measured by overall effectiveness, not
short-term impact (Viewpoint)  Danielle Favorite | By Danielle
Favorite | The Kalamazoo Gazette on February 13, 2013 at 7:00
AM, updated February 13, 2013 at 7:10 AM Dr. Brian Long.JPG
Brian G. Long     During World War I, the U.S. Army included an
entrance exam that asked a seemingly very simple question: “If
there are 22 birds on a telephone wire, and you shoot one, how
many will be left?” The simple answer of course would be 21
birds are left. But the realistic answer is none. The other 21
birds will all fly away)  Tax increases. Is it possible that
taxpayers will fly away like the birds? Trying to reduce almost
any government budget with a tax increase ignores what some
professional tax analysts call the tax effectiveness factor, or
TEF for short. By definition, the TEF is the percentage that the
actual increase or decrease contributes to the total budgetary
bottom line. When assessing the impact of tax increases, the TEF
is not just the stat