Alan Essig Author Blog Budget and Taxes Governor’s Tax Break Review Process Needs Rethinking September 6, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Alan Essig State tax breaks should be evaluated on a regular basis to ensure they’re efficiently achieving Georgia’s goals, but a new review process arranged at the behest of Gov. Nathan Deal is not the right way to go about it. The new review process is taking place under the guise of something called the Georgia Competitiveness […] Read more » State Budget
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Hunger a Struggle for More than One in Six Georgia Households Last Year September 5, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson People in more than one in six Georgia households endured serious problems affording adequate nutritious food at some point last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said this week. Of 644,000 Georgia households experiencing this food insecurity, some 248,000 experienced very low food security – meaning that one or more household members had to eat […] Read more »
Alan Essig Author Blog Budget and Taxes Labor Day Reminder: Educated Workers Drive the Economy August 30, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Alan Essig A new study by the Economic Policy Institute once again confirms what should be obvious; a well-educated work force is the key to a state’s prosperity. Major findings of the report include: Overwhelmingly, high-wage states are states with a well-educated workforce. States can build a strong foundation for economic success and shared prosperity by investing […] Read more » State Budget
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Michigan Poised to Join 24 States Embracing Medicaid Expansion August 28, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney Yet another state with a GOP governor is moving forward with a bipartisan plan to take advantage of billions of new federal dollars to extend health coverage to its uninsured people. News stories in recent days say Michigan is poised to become the twenty-fifth state to move forward with Medicaid Expansion and would be at […] Read more »
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Promises of Economic Growth Through Tax Cuts are Empty August 23, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 1 Comment on Promises of Economic Growth Through Tax Cuts are Empty Those pushing for the type of radical tax plans described in our new report say that deep income tax cuts are a sure-fire way to boost the state’s economy and create jobs. But these claims aren’t supported by research or the experience of other states. A recent review of dozens of economic studies finds there’s […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Tax Shift Plans Are Bad Deal for Georgia August 19, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe The Atlanta Journal-Constitution features Georgia Budget and Policy Institute’s policy analyst Wesley Tharpe’s op-ed on the proposed tax shift plans in Georgia. As published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Drastically cutting or eliminating the state’s income tax in favor of a higher sales tax is a road to nowhere, not a sure-fire path to prosperity. A […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education State Education Strategy Stuck in Restart Mode August 16, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs Georgia has a maddening habit. State officials support education policies with real potential to improve teaching and help students learn more. Then, time after time, they don’t invest the money needed to implement these policies effectively or within all districts. The most recent example of this is the state’s decision to pull out of the […] Read more » K-12
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson About 168,000 Struggling Georgians at Risk as U.S. House Pushes Food Stamp Cuts August 14, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson When the U.S. House returns from its recess in a few weeks, representatives are expected to consider a bill that slashes $40 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. A cut that size eliminates benefits for up to four million people in the U.S. In Georgia, about […] Read more » farm bill food stamps Melissa Johnson SNAP
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe New Report: Details Behind the Tax Shift Effect August 13, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Our recent report on potential tax shift plans in Georgia estimates that a seismic shift from incomes taxes to sales taxes would raise total state taxes for as many as four in five Georgia taxpayers. You might ask how cutting income taxes could actually increase taxes on most families. Our new fact sheet provides a […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Budget and Taxes Fact Sheets Wesley Tharpe How Tax Shift Plans Raise Taxes on Most Families August 13, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe A seismic shift from incomes taxes to sales taxes would raise total state taxes for as many as four in five Georgia taxpayers, as explained in a Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) comprehensive report published this month. How can cutting income taxes actually increase taxes on most families? In short, it’s because different taxes […] Read more » State Taxes
