Arkansas will lose an estimated $113 million in sales tax revenue this year on Internet purchases and lose more from untaxed catalog, phone and other “remote sales.” This lost revenue makes it harder for Arkansas to invest in public services that draw employers and build a strong economy.
Advocates and lawmakers focused on cutting poverty in Arkansas in half by 2020 helped pass several pieces of legislation during the 2011 session of the Arkansas General Assembly. These new laws and others show that the partners, community leaders and citizens who contributed to the work of the Arkansas Legislative Task Force on Reducing Poverty […]
The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has a significant economic impact in Arkansas. Twenty-two percent of all Arkansas tax filers, or almost 300,000 families, claimed the EITC in 2007. The EITC brought $629 million directly to the Arkansas economy—an average of $2,213 per family.
Health programs promised money through a 2009 increase in the tobacco tax haven’t seen a penny, and dozens of others have been under budgeted in the last two fiscal years, according to an analysis by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. An expansion of the state’s child health insurance program and an electronic health records […]
The Arkansas General Assembly will likely consider one or more proposals to eliminate or reduce state taxes on capital gains during the 2011 legislative session. While the Arkansas state budget situation is not as bad as that of some states, it’s clear that state general revenue will be tight during the next two years. Proposals […]
Arkansas schools routinely fail to spend millions of dollars meant to help their poorest students catch up to their peers, according to an analysis of education spending data by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Many school districts are rolling over poverty funds from year to year instead of investing in proven programs that help […]
Every day Arkansas families struggle to make ends meet, and the recent economic downturn has made this challenge even more difficult. Just how much money does a family need to cover its basic needs? How much do various government supports and benefits help families to do so? This report will help to answer these questions.
Congress could make pivotal tax policy decisions this year that will affect our fiscal outlook, government policies, and shape our economy for decades. Virtually all of the tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 expire at the end of this year. Members of Congress and the President have already signaled that some of the tax […]
National health care reform remains at the center of attention at AACF. With legislative action moving quickly, it is important our network remain alert and focused on ensuring that our congressional delegation supports comprehensive health reform that is good for our state and our children. This issue of Moving Families Forward provides an update on […]
Low- and middle-income families in Arkansas pay a far higher share of their income in state and local taxes than do the richest families in Arkansas, according to a new study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. “Arkansas lawmakers may be forced to make difficult tax and spending decisions in the upcoming year,” […]