State Budget Making is Policymaking
The Governor’s Budget is Dominated by Education Freedom Accounts At Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, we believe the state has the duty to invest in Arkansans, with a robust state budget that fully funds critical programs and...
State Budget Revenue Forecasting
Does our way of forecasting shortchange our future? Creating and approving the Arkansas state budget is demanding work for our governor and legislature. Predicting how much money the state will bring in from fees and taxes is both science...
The Disconnect Between Income and Taxes in Arkansas
The wealthy aren’t paying their fair share, and that hurts programs and policies that help all Arkansans. Our children have been back in school for weeks. Labor Day has passed. And we were teased with cooler weather last week....
IRS Direct File Would Save Arkansans More Than $150 Million a Year
The State should partner with IRS Direct File to benefit Arkansans. Last year the Internal Revenue Service piloted its Direct File program, a free online system for filing federal tax returns. The IRS kept the pilot program purposefully small,...
Undocumented Immigrants Contribute Nearly $200 Million in Arkansas Taxes a Year
In Arkansas, undocumented immigrants contributed $188 million in state and local taxes in 2022, a number that would rise to $223 million if these taxpayers were granted work authorization.
2024 June Special Session Recap
The Arkansas General Assembly quickly convened in a special session the week of June 17 to vote on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission budget, another round of tax cuts, and their stances on proposed ballot measures. At Arkansas Advocates for Children...
AACF Testimony on June 2024 Special Session Tax Cuts
Hello, I am Keesa Smith-Brantley, Executive Director at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Each year, with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, we release the KIDS COUNT Databook which is a 50-state ranking of childhood wellbeing looking at four...
The Definition of Regressive
Today the Legislature, in a special session called by the Governor, begins discussion of Senate Bill 1. According to an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, this bill will eliminate at least $450 million in tax...
A Decade of Personal Income Tax Cuts in Arkansas: Where Did the Money Go?
More than 25% of households in Arkansas make less in a year than the state's 1% save in taxes thanks to the tax cuts enacted by our state government since 2014.