skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: AZ Tax Cuts Digging Deficit Hole Deeper

play audio
Play

Wednesday, October 21, 2009   

PHOENIX - Arizona taxpayers are paying 20 percent less on the same income as they did two decades ago, according to a new report that suggests the state's tax system has not kept up with the changing economy -- and that the quality of life is suffering because of it.

Karen McLaughlin, director of budget and policy for the nonpartisan Children's Action Alliance, says a steady history of tax cuts and the resulting revenue reductions have left the state unable to adequately fund such government basics as education and public safety.

"We've already seen cuts to K-12 education, health care and child care -- services that Arizona families need and value."

One reform suggested in the report to increase state revenues by broadening the tax base. That means updating the tax collection system to reflect an increasingly service-based economy, explains McLaughlin.

"Maybe changing the tax rates, so that they're lower but give us a more stable tax base. We're not taxing very many services in Arizona. We tax a lot of goods, but we don't tax services. We're not taking advantage of a lot of the activity that happens."

The report also urges lawmakers to expand the size of the state's "rainy day fund," while reducing all existing tax credits. McLaughlin believes such changes are necessary to help the state make up the nearly $1.4 billion in yearly revenue that has been lost to tax cuts.

"We continue to build on previous year's tax cuts. We have tax cuts that have been phased in over a period of years and, even this last legislative session, when they were struggling with putting together the budget, they still managed tax cuts."

Legislative leaders have defended tax cuts as essential to growing Arizona's economy. The report, entitled "Digging the Hole Deeper," also suggests a moratorium on pending tax cuts already enacted. Read it online at www.azchildren.org.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021