Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Georgians Set to Vote on Income Tax Straitjacket October 23, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 1 Comment on Georgians Set to Vote on Income Tax Straitjacket Georgians will vote November 4th whether to permanently enshrine the state’s top income tax rate of 6 percent in the state’s constitution. The so-called “tax-cap” amendment sounds American as apple pie, right? No one looks forward to the day their income tax bill comes due and the prospect of capping the rate will understandably sound […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Rising Inequality Makes Tax Shift Strategy Even Riskier September 18, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe The widening gap between rich and poor makes it harder for state lawmakers to fully fund education, health care and other vital services, more so in states like Florida and Tennessee that rely mostly on sales taxes. That’s one of the main findings of a new study from Standard & Poor’s, a widely-respected, independent agency. […] Read more »
Author Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice State of Working Georgia 2014 August 27, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Workers Squeezed by Tough Labor Market, Shrinking Paychecks Georgia’s economy has improved markedly since the darkest days of the Great Recession, but workers and their families remain pinched from the lingering fallout. Unemployment remains high, wages are depressed and many workers are stuck in low-quality jobs. African-Americans and Georgians with fewer years of education are […] Read more »
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Georgia Workers Deserve an Economy That Works for Them August 27, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 2 Comments on Georgia Workers Deserve an Economy That Works for Them Like many Georgians I grew up in a family hanging on tightly to the middle rungs of the economic ladder. My father drove old cars until they literally fell apart on the road, and my mother clipped coupons religiously from the Sunday paper. My older sister and I slept under a mountain of blankets in […] Read more »
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Price to Get Top Business Climate Rank Could be Economic Inequality July 24, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe When states like Georgia rate well as places to do business, the same factors used in those rankings also appear to create a climate for economic inequality, according to a new report. The new analysis finds states that tend to rank well on business climate indexes, like the ones published by Forbes Magazine and the […] Read more »
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Georgia’s Middle Class Workers Left Out of Recovery July 17, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Industries in Georgia that pay a middle-class wage fell furthest during the Great Recession but are faring the worst during the economic recovery. Georgia’s mid-wage industries comprised 52 percent of private sector job losses during the recession, but only 15 percent of gains during the recovery. Cuts to state and local budgets worsen the problem […] Read more »
Author Featured Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Bad Times for Good Jobs July 17, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Georgia’s Shrinking Middle Class Opportunity A good-paying job is the cornerstone of a secure middle-class life, but Georgia’s private sector economy is failing to provide enough of them. Industries in Georgia that pay a middle-class wage suffered most during the Great Recession, and have come back more slowly than low- and high-wage industries during the […] Read more »
Author Budget and Taxes Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Menu of Revenue Options to Pave Way for Georgia’s Rebound June 26, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Low Revenues Keeping Georgia on a Path to Mediocrity, 2014 Update Georgia is one of the lowest-taxed states in the country, which prevents state and local governments from collecting the revenue they need to fully fund education, public services and other ingredients of economic success. But lawmakers can reverse these budget shortfalls by choosing from […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Income Taxes Aren’t Driving Georgians to Change States May 29, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Georgia’s tax rates do not cause residents to pull up stakes and leave for nearby states with lower income taxes. That may come as a surprise if you listen to claims by anti-tax activists and lawmakers, who routinely say workers and businesses are quick to jump across state lines in search of a lower tax […] Read more »
Author Budget and Taxes Fact Sheets Library Policy Areas Wesley Tharpe Adding Up the Fiscal Notes: 2014 Session Recap May 28, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Tax Measures Further Whittle Away Revenues Revised May 28, 2014 A collection of tax measures that will drain up to $238 million from Georgia’s state treasury and $154 million from its local governments over the next five years were signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal this year. Although not as large as some past […] Read more » State Taxes
