If there’s room for tax relief in the state budget next year, it should go directly into the hands of working families who’ll spend it locally on the housing, food and transportation that helps them keep our economy working....
One in 34 Americans earned not a single dollar in 2009, according to new Social Security Administration data. At the same time, salaries at the very top of the spectrum grew by more than “fivefold,” according to a report...
Arkansas is a Low Tax State, But Not for Families Living in Poverty Recently released data from the Census Bureau confirms that overall, Arkansas could be considered a “low tax state.” However, families living near or below the poverty...
The Senate is expected to take up tax legislation this month that is crucial to the middle class. A bill to cut middle class taxes could be introduced as early as this week. We at Arkansas Advocates for Children...
Congress is set to address the tax rates of every American this year with the focus on whether or not to extend tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 under President Bush. President Obama has proposed an extension of...
Normally when the public or politicians talk about economic recovery they focus on unemployment and consumer spending. However, the rile of state budget cuts are largely ignored, yet are intimately tied to both unemployment and consumer spending. State cuts...
July 2010: Unemployment assistance, child nutrition and more An Update on the Federal Tax and Budget System As Congress heads toward its annual August recess, both the House and Senate are busy working to pass key pieces of legislation...
Many experts agree that the federal poverty measures are outdated and underestimate the amount of money a family must to earn to take care of all of its basic needs. The current federal poverty measures do not accurately count...
Lawmakers have been fast and furiously passing appropriations bills since the fiscal session began, in an attempt to meet their deadline of closing the session by month’s end. Appropriations bills set maximum spending levels for each state agency budget....
This week’s bad weather didn’t keep the Arkansas General Assembly from gathering to open the 2010 fiscal session—the first of its kind. By all accounts today, the expectation is that this session will be quick—in and out in a month, with...