St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Lead and We Shall Follow

Economy | June 24, 2010

By David Stokes | Read Time 1 minute

I came across this St. Louis Business-Journal blog post from a week ago arguing that St. Louis should follow the example set by Pittsburgh. I liked the post, and have no qualms with the main recommendation. However, it did seem a little heavy on top-down central planning, and — most unfortunately — does not mention Pittsburgh’s transition to land taxes as one of the reasons for their resurgence. I absolutely agree that St. Louis should adopt land taxation to replace its earnings tax! And Kansas City, too.

About the Author

David Stokes

David Stokes is a St. Louis native and a graduate of Saint Louis University High School and Fairfield (Conn.) University. He spent six years as a political aide at the St. Louis County Council before joining the Show-Me Institute in 2007. Stokes was a policy analyst at the Show-Me Institute from 2007 to 2016. From 2016 through 2020 he was Executive Director of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, where he led efforts to oppose harmful floodplain developments done with abusive tax subsidies. Stokes rejoined the Institute in early 2021 as the Director of Municipal Policy. He is a past president of the University City Library Board. He served on the St. Louis County 2010 Council Redistricting Commission and was the 2012 representative to the Electoral College from Missouri’s First Congressional District. He lives in University City with his wife and their three children.

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