Wonkbook: The interesting thing that happened when Kansas cut taxes and California hiked them

By Jim Tankersley and Max Ehrenfreund In 2012, voters in California approved a measure to raise taxes on millionaires, bringing their top state income tax rate to 13.3 percent, the highest in the nation. Conservative economists predicted calamity, or at least a big slowdown in growth. Also that year, the governor of Kansas signed a …   The latest economic and domestic policy from Wonkblog   Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders poses for a photograph with workers as he stops to eat at an In-N-Out Burger after a rally on June 3, 2016, in Pinole, Calif. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post) By Jim Tankersley and Max Ehrenfreund In 2012, voters in California approved a measure to raise taxes on millionaires, bringing their top state income tax rate to 13.3 percent, the highest in the nation. Conservative economists predicted calamity, or at least a big slowdown in growth. Also that year, the governor of Kansas signed a series of changes to the state's tax code, including reducing income and sales tax rates. Conservative economists predicted a boom. Neither of those predictions came true. Not right away -- California grew just fine in the year the tax hikes took effect -- and especially not in the medium term, as new economic data showed this week. Now, correlation does not, as they say, equal causation, and two examples are but a small sample. But the divergent experiences of California and Kansas run counter to a popular view, particularly among conservative economists, that tax cuts tend to supercharge growth and tax increases chill it. Read the rest on Wonkblog.   Number of the day 223. That's how many times people on the federal terrorist watch list purchased guns last year. Christopher Ingraham has more.   Top policy tweets "A good, deeper explanation of the Feinstein gun amendment. https://t.co/z7Im3g8AZo" -- @ddayen "Under DOL's new overtime rule, prototypical Senate campaign staffer will earn more in overtime than in base salary. https://t.co/JqI8wnd6y5" -- @crampell "If the legal question is hazy (it is) and Ryan opposes the policy, why not legislate? https://t.co/FYDjAWU0jQ" -- @sahilkapur ADVERTISEMENT   Most Recent Posts from Wonkblog Every two days, a suspected terrorist buys a gun in the U.S. And the Senate can't stop it from happening. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   The big change that will help poor people move to wealthy neighborhoods Why poor people may soon be able to move into wealthy neighborhoods By Emily Badger  •  Read more »   Americans now think it’s okay to say what they really think about race A series of recent surveys produced some unexpected results for political scientists. By Max Ehrenfreund  •  Read more »   It’s easier to buy an assault weapon than open a bank account. Really. Just as the Salem witch trials are inexplicable to us, our support for assault rifles will be inexplicable to our descendants. By Lawrence H. Summers  •  Read more »   The interesting thing that happened when Kansas cut taxes and California hiked them These two states must seem really bizarre to conservatives. By Jim Tankersley and Max Ehrenfreund  •  Read more »   The questions about 'Star Wars' that are now finally being answered There are a set of "Star Wars" questions every fan should ask, and now they've been answered. By Jim Tankersley  •  Read more »   ‘I keep seeing people on the floor': What life is like for the survivors of a mass shooting What happens to people days and years after they survive a mass shooting. By Danielle Paquette  •  Read more »   The Fed’s mistake is that it’s not hiking rates fast enough It was a mistake for the Federal Reserve this week to have backed off, once again, from its plan to raise interest rates to more normal levels. By Steven Pearlstein  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   How sexism holds back the economy Paid leave, reducing the pay gap and other policies could improve growth, a new report concludes By Jim Tankersley  •  Read more »   The Federal Reserve is finally facing reality The Federal Reserve keeps looking for reasons to raise interest rates, and it keeps not finding them. By Matt O'Brien  •  Read more »   FBI: Active shooter incidents have soared since 2000 Active-shooter incidents are becoming more common, and civilians aren't stopping them. By Christopher Ingraham  •  Read more »   Why you’ll be glad you took that photo Taking photos really doesn't ruin the moment By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »           Share Wonkbook:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for a Wonkblog newsletter. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071