Reports by Iris J. Lav
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House Stimulus Plan Effectively Targets Fiscal Relief to States
September 26, 2008
The House Leadership’s new stimulus proposal includes more than $14 billion in fiscal relief for states. This is designed to help states avert budget cuts and tax increases that they otherwise will have to institute to balance their budgets but that will make the economic downturn worse by withdrawing demand from the … -
Property Tax Limitation in the Senate Housing Bill is Unnecessary, Impractical, and Likely to Cause Harm
June 23, 2008
Legislation that the Senate is considering in response to the ongoing foreclosure crisis (H.R. 3221) includes a provision that would allow non-itemizers to deduct property taxes up to an amount of $500 for an individual and $1,000 for a couple.[1] It would deny the deduction, however, to residents of any locality that raises its … -
Suozzi's Statement Ignores Truth About Massachusetts' Property Tax Cap
May 28, 2008
On May 21, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report, “Hidden Consequences: Lessons from Massachusetts for States Considering a Property Tax Cap.” The same day, Thomas Suozzi, the Chairman of New York’s Property Tax Relief Commission, issued a … -
Eliminating Louisiana's Income Tax Will Harm the State's Budget Outlook, Competitiveness
Revised May 12, 2008
On April 29, the Louisiana Senate voted to phase out the state’s income tax over 10 years without proposing any replacement revenues. The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to consider this proposal, along with others that would significantly cut the income tax but not eliminate it, on Monday May 12. The desire to cut … -
Fixing TABOR's "Ratchet" Will Not Repair TABOR
April 10, 2008
Proponents of adopting a tight TABOR limit in Florida sometimes claim that Florida would not experience the same negative effects on the economy and public services that occurred in Colorado. They argue that Colorado’s problems stemmed entirely from one feature of its TABOR, the so-called “ratchet.” (The ratchet, … -
Statement by Iris Lav, Deputy Director, on Provision in Bipartisan Senate Housing Package Affecting Local Property Taxes
April 3, 2008
While the Senate housing package would establish a new property tax deduction for non-itemizers, a little-noticed provision of the bill would deny the new deduction to any resident of a locality that raises its property tax rate between April 2 and next January 1. By preventing localities from … -
A Response to Americans for Prosperity's Misleading Claims About Florida's TABOR (CP 45)
March 25, 2008
Americans for Prosperity recently issued a critique of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ analysis of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission’s revenue cap proposal. In its critique, Americans for Prosperity made several false claims. This analysis addresses the major flaws in their critique. There is no disagreement between the Center and Americans for Prosperity about the large size of the … -
The Tax Commission's TABOR: A Path to Deterioration in Florida
March 21, 2008
The Taxation and Budget Reform Commission will soon consider placing an amendment on the ballot to tightly limit revenue growth for state and local governments.[1] This proposal, CP 45, deserves a great deal of attention because it shares the fundamental characteristics of Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR): it is a … -
Economic Data Can be Used to Target State Fiscal Relief Effectively
March 3, 2008
States are experiencing major budget problems; more than half faced or are projecting deficits for the 2009 fiscal year. To meet their balanced budget requirements, many states have had to raise taxes and/or cut expenditures for services such as health care and education — actions that deepen the nation’s economic problems and offset some of … -
State Low-Income Tax Reflief in the Absence of an Income Tax
Revised February 14, 2008
Most states target tax relief to low- and moderate-income households. In part, this is because without such relief, state and local taxes would absorb a much larger share of the income of poor and near-poor families than of families at higher income levels. This is particularly true in states that do not use a personal income tax, … -
Federal Grants to States and Localities Cut Deeply in Fiscal Year 2009 Federal Budget
February 4, 2008
Grants to state and local governments have long been an important way in which the federal government supports and administers programs efficiently. The new budget, however, continues to significantly erode those grants. This leaves states and localities the option of either curtailing services or increasing their own taxes to … -
29 States Faced Total Budget Shortfall of at Least $48 Billion in 2009
January 15, 2008
For the most up-to-date information on state budget shortfalls, please view our newer analysis: "State Budget Problems Worsen: 13 States Face New Shortfalls" At least 29 states plus the District of Columbia, including several of the nation’s largest states, faced …
