We retired Tax Justice Blog in April 2017. For new content on issues related to tax justice, go to www.justtaxesblog.org
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on a poll showing that most Pennsylvanians care more about the quality of their schools than about keeping their tax bills low: “The poll found that in order to restore $1 billion in state aid [that was] cut two years ago, more than half the respondents – 55 percent – would be willing to support increasing the state sales tax from 6 percent to 6.25 percent and postponing corporate tax breaks as long as the money went into a dedicated trust for schools… Fifty-four percent said they would favor boosting the state income tax rate from 3.07 percent to 3.30 percent to help the schools.”
In other Pennsylvania news, a proposal by state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi to uncap that state’s film tax credit failed to garner support during this legislative session. Yesterday, Governor Tom Corbett signed the 2013-14 Executive Budget, maintaining the credit’s $60 million annual cap. Lawmakers must have read our discussion of why film tax credits are a poor economic development tool – hopefully next year the proposal will be to eliminate them entirely.
The Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) uses new data to make the case for reversing the 70 percent cut in the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) that lawmakers enacted in 2011 to pay for a big cut in businesses’ tax bills. As the MLPP points out, “One in every four children (25%) in Michigan lived in poverty in 2011, up from one in five (19%) in 2005. Only nine states had bigger jumps in the child poverty rates … The state and federal credits literally lift children in low-income families out of poverty. Studies show a strong correlation between income boosts and good outcomes for kids.”
Goodbye and Congratulations! The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) often works with the Iowa Policy Project (IPP) on tax and budget issues in the Hawkeye State. The organization’s founding director David Osterberg announced that he will be stepping away from his director duties to focus on environment and energy policy. Taking over as director will be Mike Owen, IPP’s current assistant director. We wish David all the best and congratulate Mike in his new role.
Our friends at ITEP are busy crunching the numbers for yet another version of tax “reform” in North Carolina. The Senate is expected to approve a revamped bill this week which is more in line with the concepts the House and Governor support. But, with a more than $1 billion annual price tag and most of the benefits going to wealthy North Carolinians and profitable corporations, the effort still falls far short of being real reform. Be sure to check out www.ncjustice.org this week for the latest information about the ongoing debate and to see ITEP’s numbers in action.