Conservative Statehouses Hand Out Corporate Tax Breaks While Raising Taxes On Low-Income Citizens

[Joanne98]

Just days after calling for unity and “shared sacrifice” in their inaugural speeches, conservative governors, joined by legislators across the county, have proposed new tax cuts for business and top-earners alongside cuts to critical expenditures for low-income working families and tax increases on the working poor. As the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy writes, in the face of massive budget shortfalls and declining revenue, many states “are poised to enact harmful cuts in existing state taxes that could weaken states’ ability to provide core public services for years to come.” “The threats to state tax fairness and adequacy are mounting by the day,” ITEP noted.

Budget proposals in the following states are particularly alarming:

Michigan: The state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, overwhelmingly passed in 2006, is being threatened by legislators eager to fill budget shortfalls at the expense of low-income working families. EITC has been recognized at the federal and state level as extremely effective in reducing poverty and rewarding work. But Michigan’s legislative leaders are considering cutting EITC while supporting Gov. Rick Snyder’s (R) proposal to implement a new series of expensive business taxes that could cost the cash-strapped state $3.3 billion.

New Jersey: Gov. Chris Christie (R) set the precedent for Michigan lawmakers last year when he reduced funding for the state’s EITC program to close a budget shortfall, even while implementing a series of lucrative tax cuts for large corporations. Now, Christie is considering cutting the state’s Medicaid program and is calling to abolish a cap on college tuition increases at the state’s public universities — a cap Christie’s own administration implemented last year.

Florida: Gov. Rick Scott (R), despite facing a $2.5 billion budget shortfall, has proposed eliminating his state’s corporate income tax and reducing property taxes, making Florida’s regressive tax system even more unfair for its low-income residents. Tax cuts for corporations will be offset by deep cuts to Florida’s already “lean” budget, including a proposed $1.8 billion cut to the state’s Medicaid program.

http://jdeanicite.typepad.com/i_cite/2011/01/wonk-room-conservative-statehouses-hand-out-corporate-tax-breaks-while-raising-taxes-on-low-income-citizens.html

They're trying to KILL people!

[old mark]

1. When the GOP takes over the entire government in 2016, this will be the norm

for the US.


mark

[DCKit]

2. I hope you broke a nail typing that. nt

[old mark]

3. If that happens, I plan to be living in Costa Rica...nt

[3waygeek]

4. And Georgia is considering

lowering the state income tax and reinstituting the sales tax on groceries.

[Hestia]

5. In Ark., the R Chair of Senate Ways & Means is not allowing any bill of this type to be voted out

of committee until he says he's seen all the data. As much as I abhor R's, he's taking a wait & see where we are at this time next year before cutting taxes to anyone, including groceries. You do have to commend that action. I can't get the link online, and I left the paper at work. Wish I'd saved it now.

[ThomCat]

6. Yes, they are trying to kill people. They want states that

are filled with profitable corporations.

And as for people, either you work for one of those corporations, or you die. If you work for one of those corporations then you can pay your own way and don't need any state services.

If you don't work for one of those corporations, they don't want to have to pay for any state services for you, because they don't see you as contributing anything to the state. You're a parasite as far as they're concerned. So if they can manage to cut you off, and you either leave or die, then that's a positive result as far as they're concerned.

In the end, all that should be left in their view of the state is corporations and corporate employees. Unfortunately, those employees will have dependents the state will have to put up with, educate, and maybe even provide some nursing homes and health care for. But as long as every one of those dependents comes from a family of a corporate employee they'll tolerate that.

This is where we are heading with conservatives in power. That includes the conservative democrats that keep caving in to vote with republicans, and take money from the same corporate sponsors and lobbyists, and represent corporations as if their interests are paramount. :(

[Doctor_J]

7. Reagan proved that you can do whatever you want to poor people

with no repercussions. They have no way to express displeasure. I would be surprised if the poll tax weren't re-implemented soon to keep the riff-raff from even the charade of voting.

This isn't going to stop until we stop it by inflicting the ultimate punishment on the terrorists - beginning with the propaganda arm