The result being zero tax revenue but a large cost to the state in attempting to collect that nothing.

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California late last month issued rules requiring that one in seven cars for sale in the state in 2025 be zero-emission or a plug-in hybrid.

WSJ: Is Chevy's Cruze Dulling the Spark of its Volt?

Temperatures for the morning commute in the North Star State stayed well below zero.

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The zero-tolerance approach the federal and state governments seem to be taking does not bode well for the snakehead.

CNN: Fish tale

You have the whole Penn State thing, which makes everyone feel queasy and has zero potential for light-hearted office distraction.

WSJ: Jason Gay: Water Cooler Topics Are Overflowing

Since congressional Republicans promised to zero out federal funding for high-speed rail, analysts noted, the state wouldn't have enough money to electrify the tracks, let alone build out.

WSJ: Allysia Finley: How Insider Politics Saved California's Train to Nowhere

This decision to explicitly state the conditions under which it is going to keep rates at near zero is a triumph for Chicago Fed President Charlie Evans who has campaigned for this kind of approach for years.

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He wants state agencies to plan and simplify the permitting processes to encourage manufacturing and driving of zero-emission cars.

FORBES: California To Build A $100M Electric Car Charging Network

Then there's Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who wants to zero out his state's income tax (top rate 6%) and the 8% corporate tax and replace them by raising the state's current 4% sales tax.

WSJ: Review & Outlook: The State Tax Reformers

In the early 1970s, then-Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter used zero-based budgeting as a way to focus on justifying every dollar that was being spent in the state government.

FORBES: We can do better than 0-58