In the last decade Nebraska’s tax burden has grown 6% faster than in neighboring states, yet the wages of Nebraska workers have lagged 2% behind. We constantly hear from AFP-Nebraska members across the state that our tax burden is driving away businesses, jobs, young people and retirees.

We are doing something to solve the problem. Last night Americans for Prosperity-Nebraska hosted a Town Hall on Government Spending in Omaha. Over 70 people came out in the snow to learn how we can control the size of government spending; and thus lower our tax burden.

Platte Institute Executive Director John McCollister speaks to AFP-Nebraska members about CIR reform

We spent the majority of the night discussing a state entity that controls 70% of municipal budgets; budgets funded by your property and sales tax dollars.

The Commission of Industrial Relations (CIR) is a state entity that is charged with setting the salary and benefits of public employees. The CIR is a non-elected, unaccountable, government entity that controls how your property and sales taxes are spent by dictating the wages of government employees. In the current CIR structure there is no advocate for you, the taxpayer.

Did you know the average Lincoln government employee receives a salary of $46,546 and benefits worth $14,189? The average salary for a non-government employee is $10,000 less.

Because there is no accountability with the current system the CIR has compared salaries in cities like Denver and Minneapolis to determine the wages for city employees in Lincoln. These are metropolitan areas ten times as large as Lincoln or Omaha. The current CIR system is broken and overburdens Nebraska taxpayers with unfair mandates.

Click here to email members of the Nebraska Business and Labor Committee and tell them we need to reform the CIR system that takes advantage of taxpayers.

State Senator Tony Fulton has introduced legislation in the Unicameral to reform the CIR, that will make the system more reasonable, and lower your tax burden. Read the bills (LB 1040, 1041 and 1042) Sen. Fulton introduced by clicking here.

Honestly, I had never heard of the CIR until a year ago, but that is the problem. Too much in government happens without clear transparency and accountability. AFP-Nebraska strongly supports Sen. Fulton’s reforms that will result in giving more control to taxpayers over government spending.

Please take a moment to contact Sen. Fulton and members of the Business and Labor Committee by clicking here to express your support for controlling government spending by reforming the CI