New Mexico

The “tax reform framework” released by the Trump administration and congressional Republican leaders on September 27 would not benefit everyone in New Mexico equally. The richest one percent of New Mexico residents would receive 48.5 percent of the tax cuts within the state under the framework in 2018. These households are projected to have an income of at least $443,700 next year. The framework would provide them an average tax cut of $45,910 in 2018, which would increase their income by an average of 3.6 percent.

A tiny fraction of the New Mexico population (0.3 percent) earns more than $1 million annually. But this elite group would receive 35.3 percent of the tax cuts that go to New Mexico residents under the tax proposals from the Trump administration. A much larger group, 47.5 percent of the state, earns less than $45,000, but would receive just 5.8 percent of the tax cuts.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration released some broadly outlined proposals to overhaul the federal tax code. Households in New Mexico would not benefit equally from these proposals. The richest one percent of the state’s taxpayers are projected to make an average income of $1,264,600 in 2018. They would receive 42 percent of the tax cuts that go to New Mexico’s residents and would enjoy an average cut of $73,070 in 2018 alone.

This week, we celebrate a victory in Kansas where lawmakers rolled back Brownback's tax cuts for the richest taxpayers. Governors in West Virginia and Alaska promote compromise tax plans. Texas heads into special session and Vermont faces another budget veto, while Louisiana and New Mexico are on the verge of wrapping up. Voters in Massachusetts may soon be able to weigh in on a millionaire's tax, the California Senate passed single-payer health care, and more!

This week saw tax debates heat up in many states. Late-session discovered revenue shortfalls, for example, are creating friction in Delaware, New Jersey, and Oklahoma, while special sessions featuring tax debates continue in Louisiana, New Mexico, and West Virginia. Meanwhile the effort to revive Alaska's personal income tax has cooled off.