Tax and Budget Reform

Overview

Oct 19 2008

In a debate too often dominated by rightwing tax cut rhetoric, there is a real opening for progressives to demand a fairer, more accountable tax and budget system. The public has a strong commitment to funding both social services and the long-term investments needed for economic growth, but state residents are frustrated by governments that they believe tax low- and middle-income residents too much and upper-income residents and corporations too little. Hidden economic giveaways to companies receiving tax breaks and government contracts only add to voters' suspicion that state budgets serve those with money, not the average taxpayer. In response, a range of reforms at the state level are creating more transparent tax and budget decisions and strengthening voters' trust that their tax money will actually go towards the important public services that they do support. These approaches include:

From the Dispatch

Privatization Update: Recent News from across the Country

Nov 25 2008

As states face mounting deficits, corporate lobbyists have been promoting the idea that privatization of public services and assets is a free lunch -- services can be delivered more cheaply than by public employees and public assets like highways can be sold or leased for a hefty return to the taxpayer. As PSN has detailed in our December 2007 report Privatizing in the Dark: The Pitfalls of Privatization & Why Budget Disclosure is Needed, the promises of privatization too often yield to a reality of lost money and degraded services, weak oversight and lost expertise, assets sold off for short-term gains but long-term loss, lost democratic accountability, and the corruption of the political process.

Report: Stop Retailers Pocketing over $1 Billion in Sales Tax Revenue

Nov 25 2008

According to a new study by Good Jobs First, state and local governments lost over $1billion in sales tax revenue last year as a result of laws that allow retailers to retain a percentage of the sales tax they collect.

Obama May Quickly Reverse Bush Attacks on State Policy Authority

Nov 14 2008

Progressive States Network has regularly detailed the mounting attacks on and preemption of state policy by the federal government in recent years. The incoming Obama administration is signalling that many of the Bush-era regulations restricting states may be reversed.

Some Bad Corporate Tax Ideas in New Jersey Governor's Economic Recovery Proposal

Oct 24 2008

Addressing the recession affecting New Jersey, as well as many other states, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine last week presented a plan for reviving the state economy. Some of the proposals - such as speeding up work on infrastructure projects and putting $500 million of state pension money in community banks to spur lending to local businesses - are smart and desperately needed.

A First Look at How McCain and Obama's Policies Would Affect the States

Oct 13 2008

There are stark differences between the two presidential campaigns' approaches to federal-state relationships. Differences range from the amount of funding appropriated for programs run by the states to whether the candidates would strengthen or weaken state regulatory authority.

The Financial Bailout and the Challenge for the States: De-Leveraging Working Families

Sep 29 2008

According to The Wall Street Journal, "Fed and Treasury officials have identified the disease. It's called de-leveraging, or the unwinding of debt. During the credit boom, financial institutions and American households took on too much debt." But let's not buy into a false equivalence of "financial institutions" and those "American households" borrowing beyond their means.

Two States With Tarnished Images Make Strong Gains on Ethics in 2008

Jun 26 2008

Many states have suffered from public officials being involved in ethics scandals. While sometimes there is talk of reform and other overtures, comprehensive reform is most often elusive. However, some states have managed, either in response to one particularly egregious event or a history of problems being overturned in a wave of dissatisfaction, to truly make a fundamental change. This year Connecticut once again moved forward with a multi-year ethics reform initiative, and Louisiana enacted one of the most far-reaching ethics overhauls any state has in generations.

Illinois Legislature Passes Pay-to-Play Contracting Reform, Bill Awaits Governor's Signature

Jun 19 2008

Illinois stands out as a state famous for corrupt politics. For generations, patronage and pay-to-play politics have been raised to an art form by state and local politicians. The state's last governor is in jail for racketeering. The current governor is under federal investigation for allegedly giving jobs and no-bid contracts to campaign supporters, more than 200 of whom have given the governor checks for exactly $25,000. Advocates of good government such as the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform have fought for years to bring the states' corrupt government officials to heel.

Largest Privatization Deal in U.S. History Proposed for Pennsylvania Turnpike

May 22 2008

In the largest privatization deal ever proposed in the United States, a consortium led by Spanish company Abertis Infraestructuras offered $12.8 billion to lease operation of the Pennsylvania Turnpike for 75 years. The deal would allow the company to immediately hike tolls 25 percent and then increase tolls each year thereafter up to the rate of inflation.

Climate Justice: Promoting Equity in Dealing with Climate Change

Apr 28 2008

Too often, the impact that policies and measures have on low-income and marginalized communities is considered only as an after thought, if at all. Climate change policies are no exception.

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Tax and Budget Reform

Overview

From the Dispatch

Privatization Update: Recent News from across the Country

Report: Stop Retailers Pocketing over $1 Billion in Sales Tax Revenue

Obama May Quickly Reverse Bush Attacks on State Policy Authority

Some Bad Corporate Tax Ideas in New Jersey Governor's Economic Recovery Proposal

A First Look at How McCain and Obama's Policies Would Affect the States

The Financial Bailout and the Challenge for the States: De-Leveraging Working Families

Two States With Tarnished Images Make Strong Gains on Ethics in 2008

Illinois Legislature Passes Pay-to-Play Contracting Reform, Bill Awaits Governor's Signature

Largest Privatization Deal in U.S. History Proposed for Pennsylvania Turnpike

Climate Justice: Promoting Equity in Dealing with Climate Change

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