Tallahassee, FL – “Evaluating Impacts of Tax Changes”

The advantages and capabilities of the REMI Tax-PI model will be highlighted at our upcoming luncheon in Tallahassee, Florida on Thursday, January 18, 2018 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

REMI Vice President Billy Leung and Managing Economic Associate Chris Judson will be describing the multitude of applications for this state-of-the-art modeling tool.

Tax-PI has been used for evaluating the fiscal and economic effects of tax policy changes and was developed based on 30 years of tax policy modeling experience. The model gives the user an adjustable fiscal model to illustrate state specific revenues and expenditures defined by personalized tax policy variables.

Any major state policy change will create a ripple effect on employment, migration, consumer price, and consumer spending and the REMI Tax-PI model can take these effects into account in order to forecast significant changes and outcomes. This allows analysts to capture direct, indirect, and induced fiscal and economic effects and links the effects of taxation and other policy changes over multiple years with the REMI PI+ model.

We’re offering this luncheon free of charge, although we ask that you register in advance. If you would like to attend this event, please email Brian Boyd at brian.boyd@remi.com or contact us by phone at (413)549-1169.

We hope you can attend this special event.

Chris Brown – Building Gated Cities: Economic Effects of Housing Limits

[Slides]Building Gated Cities: Economic Effects of Housing Limits – Chris Brown, Common Sense Policy Roundtable

[Recording]Building Gated Cities: Economic Effects of Housing Limits – Chris Brown, Common Sense Policy Roundtable

Colorado’s rapid growth has inspired local elected officials and residents to consider initiatives to limit permits for new home construction. Chris Brown, Director of Policy and Research at the Common Sense Policy Roundtable, a nonprofit, free-enterprise think tank based in Colorado, offers a presentation the effects of housing limits.

Through a partnership among Common Sense Policy Roundtable, Colorado Association of Realtors, Colorado Concern, and Denver South Economic Development Partnership, Mr. Brown authored a report that looked at the economic and fiscal effects of restricting housing growth in the city of Lakewood, Colorado. In addition to Lakewood, supporters of deterring growth in Colorado have proposed a statewide ballot measure that would create limitations for housing development across 10 Front Range counties.

Mr. Brown examined how, in an effort to increase quality of life and decrease regional congestion, policy makers offered a proposal to cap Lakewood housing growth that created a risk of unintended consequences. The partnership is also assessing the potential impacts of the statewide measure, which could appear on the ballot next year.

December Washington D.C. Luncheon – Opioid Crisis

REMI luncheons are held each month at Metro Center, 700 12th Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington D.C. 20005. Stay tuned for updates on this special event, including any change in venue.

We cordially invite you to our monthly Washington, D.C. policy luncheon, Thursday, December 14th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., when REMI Chief Economist and CEO Frederick Treyz, Ph.D. will discuss the economic impacts of the prescription opioid epidemic on the United States economy using dynamic fiscal analysis to identify and quantify the wide array of negative effects generated by this tragedy.

The prescription opioid abuse and dependence crisis arrived suddenly in 1999 and has only been gaining momentum in terms of scope and intensity since then. Opioid deaths have quadrupled in that time frame and the advanced necessity for treatment and prevention options is both directly and indirectly affecting the rest of the public.

At the national level, the loss of workers to either premature deaths or extended absences from the labor force depress production and lower aggregate demand, slowing down the growth of the economy. At the regional level, heavily impacted states face potential out-migration as well as increased health care, substance abuse treatment, and incarceration costs. This combination of factors places a severe strain on state budgets as both the tax base falls and expenditures rise.

Almost 2 million Americans are estimated to meet the criteria for opioid abuse and dependence with 16,000 losing their lives as a result of their addiction. The total economic burden of those consumed by this public health crisis has already cost the economy upwards of $78.5 billion and few substantive efforts have been able to curb these rising expenditures on the local, state, and federal levels.

Lunch will be provided at no charge, although we ask that you register in advance. If you would like to attend this event, please email Alex Arthen-Cheyne at alex.arthen-cheyne@remi.com or contact us by phone at (413) 549-1169.

Thank you and we hope you can join us!

Rob Carey – Abandoning Nuclear Plant Construction: Economic Impacts

Just as a new source of energy production can be a boon to a regional economy, the unexpected disruption of plans could deliver an equally significant shock.

We cordially invite you to join us for a webinar on Wednesday, December 6th from 2 to 3 p.m. EST by Robert T. Carey, Ph.D., Director of the Regional Economic Analysis Laboratory at Clemson University, who will be analyzing the suspension of work on a South Carolina nuclear expansion project.

In 2008, two energy companies jointly began construction of two new reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville, SC, with the goal of completing the expansion by 2019. Citing costs and other matters, the proponents of the project announced in July that they would halt construction.

For this webinar, Dr. Carey will review his analysis of the economic effects. He applied REMI’s dynamic economic model to estimate what would have happened if the project was completed as planned, and the implications of abandoning the project.

Denver, CO – “Policy in the Trump Era”

How do you anticipate future consequences of policies at a time of political and technological upheaval? We’re living through one such era – with President Trump and Congressional Republicans attempting to overhaul taxation, regulations, and health care while, at the same time, tech entrepreneurs are transforming how we drive, shop, and conduct business.

Please join us for a daylong conference, “Policy in the Trump Era”, in Denver, Colorado on Friday, November 17th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. REMI CEO and Chief Economist Fred Treyz, Ph.D. will be joined by REMI Economist Peter Evangelakis, Ph.D. as they examine today’s most pressing topics from the vantage of dynamic economic analysis.

We will address the employment and other economic effects of major policies:

  • Amazon HQ 2.0: At What Price?: Amazon is looking for a home for its second headquarters and it is evaluating the demographics, labor supply, and quality of life of possible cities. A winning city may need to sweeten the deal with tax incentives. The question for officials: Is attracting Amazon to your region worth the investment?
  • Transportation Innovation: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: The auto industry is undergoing significant changes. Advancements in automation and safety will have major economic effects on manufacturing regions.
  • Family Medical Leave: Economic Case Study: We will use an example study from the District of Columbia to demonstrate the economic modeling of labor policies.
  • Immigration Policy: Reform? Deport? Economic Effects: Federal immigration policy is a hot-button topic that stirs strong emotions. But objective economic policy analysis can clarify the issue and show differences between comprehensive and enforcement-only options.
  • Dynamic Modeling in Colorado: Guest presenter Chris Brown from the Common Sense Policy Roundtable will discuss recent work on housing and energy affordability.


We’re offering this conference free of charge, although we ask that you register in advance. If you would like to attend this event, please email Brian Boyd at brian.boyd@remi.com or contact us by phone at (413) 549-1169.

We hope you can attend this special conference.