Fill jobs and grow our economy

Arizona, and much of the nation, faces a worker shortage.  Given historically low birth rates, our situation is unlikely to get better. it perhaps makes less sense than it once did to expect most folks to retire around age 65. When Social Security was instituted, half of us were dead by 65, and many of the rest were “used up” and could no longer work.  Nowadays, with safer workplaces and less grinding physical toil, many people could, if they wished, work several years longer, given proper incentives and barrier removal.

There’s not much we can do at the state level to push back Social Security eligibility, but we could perhaps look at eliminating the state income tax, on labor (not investment) income after, say, age 65. We’d encourage people to be productive longer, for their benefit and that of society, and fill empty positions.  We might advertise “Move to Arizona when you retire; work part time after mornings on the golf course, and we won’t tax you for it!”