"Thank Taxes" campaign asks Arkansans to celebrate the public systems on which we all depend

LITTLE ROCK - As thousands rush to meet the tax filing deadline, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families is asking Arkansans to share photos of public services and places made possible by pooling our resources through taxes.

The non-profit child advocacy organization is promoting the "Thank Taxes" national campaign in Arkansas in the days leading up to the federal tax filing deadline, which falls on April 18 this year. Individuals can take photos with a "Thank Taxes" sign and upload them social media sites to show how taxes make our shared economic prosperity possible.

"Tax Day isn't just a deadline," said Rich Huddleston, AACF Executive Director. "It also reminds us that we pool our resources to build a better future. Year after year, generations of Americans have invested in education, health and safety so we can all enjoy economic security."

Arkansans can join the campaign by taking a picture with a sign telling us what public services you enjoy or rely on in your daily lives. Click here for a blank "Thank Taxes for ___" sign.

• Email it to connect@aradvocates.org
• Upload it to Facebook and tag it with "Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families"
• Upload it to a Twitter photo service like Twitpic and tag it with #thanktaxes.
• Add it to the Thank Taxes Flickr Pool.

Other helpful Tax time points:

• In Arkansas, workers earning less than $42,000 per year (about 60 percent of all earners) pay about 12 cents in local, state and federal taxes for every dollar they earn. The top 1 percent of earners-people earning $911,500 on average-pay 6 cents on every dollar. And that's just the rate, in actuality many of the richest taxpayers hire expensive tax attorneys to take advantage of loopholes to further reduce the amount of taxes they pay.
• The 2011 Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 736 to include some 50,000 low-income parents with two or more children in a 2007 income tax relief law. A glitch in the original law meant those parents-mostly single mothers-haven't been able to take advantage of a tax break that helps offset the high sales and property taxes they pay relative to their income. The tax break will go into effect for the 2011 tax year.
• Lawmakers also approved Gov. Mike Beebe's request to reduce the grocery tax from 2 percent to 1.5 percent, helping working families get more food with their grocery budget.