This morning the Governor announced her intention to eliminate the state income tax entirely. The personal income tax is 42% of the revenue that pays for our state’s education system, healthcare, foster care system, community development, and basically all of the programs we who work on behalf of children and families care about. This money pays for community programs, public transit, housing assistance, and many other services that people with disabilities rely on to live independently in their communities. In a special session on Monday the second round of cuts this year will be debated. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimate it will cost $211 million public dollars. And that is at just a 0.3% cut, imagine the cuts we will see in the years to come as the plan to eliminate the income tax moves forward. |
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Ways you can help:
- Email your legislators using an action alert . Don’t assume how your legislators will vote; you may be surprised on how they voted in the past. We have two options here - one from DRA and one from Arkansas Coalition for Strong Families, which we are a part of. Both include a draft email, but if you have time, please edit it to fit you and your community.
- Share the alerts on social media and via text with your friends, family, and colleagues.
- Attend the Arkansas Coalition for Strong Families' rally at Tuesday at noon on the Capitol steps.
- Testify on needs you see in your community that are already not being met, lack of pre-k spots, not support for children in foster care, roads is desperate need of repair, etc. and ask that tax cuts not be considered until critical needs are met.
- Any other advocacy ideas you can think of!
If you have any questions, please email us. Thank you! |
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