Arkansas took in more tax revenue than expected last month. October general revenues came in over 8 percent (or $30 million) higher than last year, and 4.7 percent (or $18.2 million) above forecast. Two categories accounted for most of...
A COLA is more than a tasty soft drink. In policymaking and economics, COLA stands for “cost of living adjustment.” Prices of goods (like groceries, rent, healthcare, transportation, electricity, etc.) and services (like haircuts, teaching, legal services, car maintenance,...
August net available general revenues are up slightly from last year and beat expectations by $12.3 million (or 3.2 percent) according to today’s report from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. An unanticipated boost in all major revenue...
An ideal tax system is one that is fair and provides enough revenue for state programs that we all benefit from without being overly complicated. Some people advocate for a flat tax as a way to reform or simplify...
Net general revenues came in below expectations (by $9.8 million or 2.4 percent) and fell short of last year’s numbers (by $7.1 million or 1.7 percent) according to today’s report from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. The...
Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases the Kids Count Data Book, a comprehensive, 50-state look at child welfare. Arkansas made gains in health coverage and education over the last year, but the child poverty rate went up...
They’ve done it again. The legislature provided funding for prisons in this special session. About $6.3 million was funded this time to open 600 prison beds. That’s about $10,500 a bed-far more than we pay per student for K-12...
June closed out this fiscal year with net general revenues of $539 million for the month (-1.4 percent less than last year) according to this morning’s report from the Department of Finance and Administration. The year as a whole...
Special revenue collections are a major source of revenue for the Arkansas budget, totaling $1.8 billion in FY2013. However, they are often left out of the budget spotlight because the ways in which these funds are spent have already...
Year-to-date net general revenues are just .1 percent above last year’s levels according to the May general revenue summary from the Department of Finance and Administration. The monthly total for May was 5.6 percent lower (or $18.8...