House Bill 1056 gets unanimous approval

Nearly 50,000 single-parent families with two or more children will now get the tax relief they’ve been denied for four years under a bill that unanimously cleared the Senate Wednesday.

A glitch in a 2007 tax relief bill left out certain families living below the poverty line from being exempted from paying state income taxes. These working families pay a disproportionately higher amount of taxes than other wage earners in the state. An attempt to correct the error in the 2009 Arkansas General Assembly fell short.

House Bill 1056, sponsored by Rep. Uvalde Lindsey of Fayetteville, passed the Arkansas House of Representatives last month with 93 votes in favor and none against. On Wednesday the Senate passed it with 35 votes in favor and none against.

This bill is a big step toward improving the tax structure, as it provides targeted relief for low-income, working families who pay a disproportionately higher amount in taxes than wealthier Arkansans.