June 28, 2013
June 28,2013 Once again Vermont finished high in the ranking of children’s well-being released earlier this week by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The foundation’s Kids Count survey of the states measures children’s well-being in 16 categories relating to economic well-being, health, education and family and community. These include categories such as the number […]
June 28, 2013
Fixing New Jersey’s crumbling roads and bridges is vital to energizing the state’s lagging recovery from the Great Recession. Without a sound transportation system that allows businesses to cheaply and efficiently move their goods to market and eases the commute of working men and women, New Jersey’s economy will continue to trail its neighbors. Rather […]
June 28, 2013
Last-minute tweaks in the tax plan put forward by Ohio House and Senate Republicans do not significantly change its impact for different income groups. The plan still will reward Ohio’s most affluent with average annual tax cuts of more than $6,000 a year, while low-income Ohioans will pay slightly more. That is the conclusion of […]
June 26, 2013
(Original Post) By Jim Siegel The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday June 26, 2013 8:58 AM A new analysis yesterday added fuel to criticism of a new tax plan that would decrease Ohioans’ income tax but increase the state sales and commercial activities taxes. A study for Policy Matters Ohio by the Institute on Taxation and Economic […]
June 25, 2013
The new tax plan proposed by House and Senate Republicans will reward Ohio’s most affluent with average annual tax cuts of more than $6,000 a year, while low- and moderate-income Ohioans will pay slightly more. Read the Full Report
June 25, 2013
(Original Post) The federal gas tax (18.4¢/gallon) hasn’t changed since 1993, but the cost of maintaining America’s roads has increased substantially. Today on my America Weekend show, I talked with Matthew Gardner of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy about the options for fixing the way we pay for the repair of our infrastructure. […]
June 25, 2013
(Original Post) The federal gas tax (18.4¢/gallon) hasn’t changed since 1993, but the cost of maintaining America’s roads has increased substantially. Today on my America Weekend show, I talked with Matthew Gardner of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy about the options for fixing the way we pay for the repair of our infrastructure. […]
June 25, 2013
(Original Post) Martin Bashir, @bashirlive 5:56 PM on 06/24/201 As the battle over immigration intensifies, some of the rhetoric against any kind of reform is heating up. Last week at a rally against immigration reform, Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert said, “If you’re coming into the country, don’t come in to be a taker.” The implication […]
June 24, 2013
By Christopher Gergen and Stephen Martin There are times when stark choices about the future of our state arise – and we seem to be at one of these crossroads now. The debate is trapped in the wonky world of tax reform. But the implications of this debate are very real and worth paying attention […]
June 21, 2013
Both the Senate and House tax plans would give huge tax cuts to the wealthy and profitable businesses while failing to address the state’s flawed tax system, which requires low- and moderate-income taxpayers to pay a larger share of their income in state and local taxes than wealthy taxpayers.The current tax system’s Earned Income Tax […]
June 21, 2013
6:47 pm – June 19, 2013 by LAUNCE RAKE Las Vegas is one of those American cities where intense inequalities of wealth and status aren’t just obvious, they are rubbed in your face. Wealth and power brings with it the luxury of $1,000 bottle service, stretch limos and the right to hire a private police […]
June 18, 2013
(Original Post) Published June 09, 2013Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina is joining a growing number of states exploring new fees for hybrid and electric car owners to help make up for revenue those drivers aren’t paying in gas taxes on their fuel-efficient vehicles. The proposal strikes many owners of alternative-fuel vehicles and some […]
June 18, 2013
(Original Post) By Mike D. Smith on June 14, 2013 at 4:49 PM, updated June 15, 2013 at 11:08 PM I know I can tell you to the cent what I gave Alabama Power last month. Same goes for my cellphone bill, car note and my apartment complex. All that really matters when we’re direct-depositing […]
June 18, 2013
(Original Post) By Pat GarofaloJune 13, 2013 Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has presided over one of the most rightward lurches of any state in the nation, on issues such as health care, abortion and education. But the crown jewel of his administration has been a package of cuts to Kansas’ income tax – the […]
June 18, 2013
(Original Post) By Pat GarofaloJune 13, 2013 Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has presided over one of the most rightward lurches of any state in the nation, on issues such as health care, abortion and education. But the crown jewel of his administration has been a package of cuts to Kansas’ income tax – the […]
June 18, 2013
(Original Post) Discussions of tax progressivity tend to have a low ratio of signal to noise. The following chart should clear up a few things. Here are the big takeaways: Our tax code is highly progressive. Almost everybody pays something. Even the poorest 20 per cent of American households (who make on average about $11,000) […]
June 17, 2013
June 4, 2013. A new report from the Fiscal Policy Institute shows that legalizing undocumented immigrants, paired with labor standards enforcement, would boost economic productivity. Reform would remove barriers to advancement for newly legalized immigrants, create a level playing field for businesses, and align our systems of taxation, social services, and social insurance so that […]
June 14, 2013
80 percent of taxpayers would see slightly higher taxes under the first comprehensive tax legislation introduced this legislative session, while the top 1 percent of earners would get a tax cut. The proposal threatens to erode resources for schools, health care and other services North Carolina needs to be economically competitive. The proposal (Senate Bill […]
June 14, 2013
As policymakers consider changes to the state’s tax code, it is critical to maintain proven policy tools that reverse the upside-down nature of the system. The state EITC provides workers earning low wages with a credit to offset their total state and local tax contributions. The state EITC continues to be a critical support for […]
June 14, 2013
The State Earned Income Tax Credit is the best way to make sure that low-income North Carolinians are not paying more than their fair share of taxes, while also helping low-income families stay out of poverty and create a better future for their children. Unless lawmakers reverse course, close to one million working families in […]
June 14, 2013
In the current debate over tax reform, legislative leaders frequently hold up Tennessee as a role model for improving North Carolina’s economic competitiveness and ensuring future prosperity. But a look beneath the surface reveals that the Volunteer State has the wrong kind of economy to emulate—Tennessee models a pathway to poverty, not a pathway to […]
June 14, 2013
House Bill 998 proposes to cut tax rates with the goal of shifting to a consumption-based tax system. The legislation will result in a tax shift away from wealthy taxpayers and profitable corporations and towards middle- and low-income taxpayers while taking in less money for critical public services. Read the Full Report
June 14, 2013
North Carolina’s House leadership has thrown its hat into the tax shift ring with a plan that would increase the tax load on middle- and low income tax-payers while providing the wealthy and profitable corporations a tax cut. The House plan would convert North Carolina’s personal income tax to a flat rate, while making North […]
June 14, 2013
Policymakers need accurate information in order to make informed policy choices. And the general public, too, should know what is at stake when their elected officials propose tax changes. That is why it’s so important to have data on how the proposed tax changes in North Carolina will impact actual taxpayers in the state. The […]
June 14, 2013
RALEIGH (June 7, 2013) — The House today gave tentative approval to a tax plan that will shift the tax load to low- and middle-income taxpayers, give the wealthiest taxpayers a tax cut and put our public investments at risk. During today’s floor debate of HB 998, the House tax reform bill, there seemed to […]