Articles

Fake reform delivers nothing for New Mexico entrepreneurs

March 04, 2013 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

The New Mexico legislature is currently debating a bill, HB 194, which would reform that state’s cumbersome Public Utility Commission. Sadly, some reform advocates mistakenly think it would “reduce or remove the barriers preventing new taxi, shuttle, bus, limo, and moving companies from opening.” In fact, it would do no such thi ...

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Taxi drivers protest Uber, progress

June 16, 2014 | By JONATHAN WOOD

In the last month, taxi drivers around the world have shut down city streets to protest against competition from Uber.* Traffic in major European cities ground to a halt last week. This followed in the wake of a similar demonstration in Boston last month. The taxi drivers’ objections are as predictable as they are unfounded: … ...

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Government impounds car for giving free rides to cancer patients

July 07, 2014 | By JONATHAN WOOD

The government’s protection of the taxi cartel has always been reprehensible. State and local governments bar entry into this industry in order to drive up prices and protect existing taxi companies from competition. As a consequence, entrepreneurs, particularly immigrant entrepreneurs, are denied their right to earn a living and pursue their ...

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Mixed week for liberty in the taxi industry

July 24, 2014 | By JONATHAN WOOD

Congratulations to our friends at the Institute for Justice who, due to a legal victory last year, saw Milwaukee eliminate its cap on the number of taxi licenses available. As Reason reports, this has an incredibly significant impact on the taxi industry. Under the cap, licenses had a nominal cost of $85. But, because so … ...

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Testifying in Nevada : The Competitor's Veto is unconstitutional

May 06, 2015 | By ANASTASIA BODEN

Tomorrow I’ll be testifying in the Nevada Assembly Committee on Transportation about the constitutionality (or lack thereof) of the state’s licensing laws for taxis, limousines, and moving companies.  In order to start a transportation business in the state, entrepreneurs essentially have to ask their competitors for permission first. ...

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When legislatures violate your rights, who's going to stop them?

October 02, 2015 | By ANASTASIA BODEN

Today, PLF urged the Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal to take up its duty to protect individual rights, and to enforce the state constitution’s protections for economic liberty. Occupational licensing has run amok.  As a White House Report recently detailed, nearly a third of Americans need a license to do their job legally.  ...