State Rundown 4/10: Positive Developments

Momentum is building in California for the passage of a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income workers. Two bills, Assembly Bill 43 and Senate Bill 38, would create a new, refundable state EITC. AB43 would provide a state credit equal to 15 percent of the federal credit for working families with children, and 60 percent of the federal credit for workers without children (the federal EITC for childless workers is significantly less generous than the credit for workers with children). AB43 would also provide a more generous EITC for working families with children under age 5, at 35 percent of the federal credit, in order to support children in their early development. SB38 does not include the provision for families with young children, but is more generous to childless workers; under this bill, families with children would receive 30 percent of the federal credit, while childless workers would receive 100 percent of the federal credit. An ITEP analysis finds that both bills would benefit a significant portion of working families and would improve outcomes for childless workers, who receive little support from other public benefit programs.

A bill in Alaska could impose a state income tax for the first time in 35 years. HB 182, sponsored by Rep. Paul Seaton, would introduce a state income tax equal to 15 percent of an individual’s federal income tax and would apply to some capital gains earnings as well. Seasonal workers would not be exempt from the tax, which Seaton projects would bring in $600 million annually. Revenues are an increasing concern in Alaska, which relies heavily on the volatile oil and gas industry to fund government services and has no state-level income, sales or property taxes. While the bill’s reception has been lukewarm, Rep. Seaton argued that the people should have a stake in funding government. He also argued that an income tax would be easier to collect than a sales tax. Another proposal from Rep. Click Bishop would institute an “education tax” of $100 on those making at least $10,000 a year, $200 for those making between $50,000 and $100,000 a year, and $500 for those making $500,000 or more.

Following Up:
Kansas: A new poll found that 69 percent of Kansans oppose using funds from the highway trust fund to close the state’s budget gap, and 95 percent said infrastructure investment should be a top priority. Gov. Brownback has proposed directing $2.1 billion from the transportation fund over 10 years to pay for his income tax cuts.

New Jersey: State newspapers have reported that Gov. Chris Christie’s privatization of the New Jersey lottery may have helped supporters of the governor. Gtech, the firm that operates the lottery, hired a law firm and a public relations company headed by men close to Christie to make the privatization deal happen. Gov. Christie privatized the state lottery over the objection of the state legislature and without a public bidding process.

Nevada: Legislators in the state Assembly advanced a plan out of committee that they say is an alternative to Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed expansion of the state’s business license fee. The Assembly plan would raise the rate of the Modified Business Tax (MBT) instead, from 1.17 percent to 1.56 percent. Proponents of this plan argue that it would be easier to calculate and a more predictable revenue stream, while opponents note that the MBT only covers 4 percent of state businesses and disproportionately falls on labor intensive companies.