Chris Atkins

Chris Atkins is Senior Fiscal Analyst at the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. In his role at Friedman, Chris analyzes the fiscal impact of school choice programs and specifically focuses on cost savings associated with those programs.

Prior to joining Team Friedman, Chris was General Counsel and Policy Director at the Indiana Office of Management and Budget, where he advised the Governor and senior administration officials on tax and fiscal policy and helped to develop and implement Governor Daniels’ tax and fiscal policy agenda. Chris was part of the leadership team that designed and implemented Governor Daniels’ historic property tax reform plan that cut property taxes and capped homeowners’ property taxes at 1% of assessed value. Chris also helped to design and implement Governor Daniels’ legislation for the automatic taxpayer refund, local government reform, and corporate tax reform.

Before joining Governor Daniels’ team, Chris was Senior Tax Counsel and Director of State Fiscal Projects at the Tax Foundation, where he specialized in analyzing federal, state and international tax policy from a legal and economic perspective. While at the Tax Foundation, Chris testified before many tax and budget committees in state legislatures and co-authored the Tax Foundation’sState Business Tax Climate Index, several amicus briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, and numerous studies on state tax reform and multi-state business tax issues. Chris’ work at the Tax Foundation received citations in numerous media sources, including theWall Street Journal,USA Today, theDetroit News,BBC World, andState Tax Notes.

Before joining the Tax Foundation, Chris was Director of Tax and Fiscal Policy at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), where he worked with state legislators nationwide to develop and implement fiscal policies consistent with the Jeffersonian principles of free markets and limited government. Chris’ work at ALEC was also cited in numerous media sources including the New York Times.

Chris was born in Anderson, IN, and attended schools in the South Madison Community School Corporation district, graduating from Pendleton Heights High School in 1993. Chris then graduated from Wabash College in 1997 with a B.A. in economics and political science, and received a law degree and masters in public affairs from Indiana University—Bloomington in 2001. He is a member of the state bar of Indiana. Chris lives in the Indianapolis area with his wife, Shallen, and their three children.