Measuring the Tax Plan Against Key Principles
Governor Beshear has released his tax reform proposal, and analysis and debate over the plan has begun. It’s important that this discussion keep in mind three principles that are needed in a tax reform...
View ArticleLimiting Expensive Income Tax Break for Higher-Income Retirees Is Important...
A limit on the state’s large retirement income tax break for higher-income people is an important component of tax reform, and Governor Beshear’s plan includes such a limit. Reforming the existing tax...
View ArticleGovernor's Budget Provides Some Short-Term Help But Needs Revenue to Improve...
Governor Beshear’s budget is now under consideration in the House. His plan has received praise for putting additional dollars in education, rolling back cuts to child care and identifying new capital...
View ArticleTop 1 Percent of Kentuckians Captured Nearly Half of State Income Growth over...
The top 1 percent of earners in Kentucky took home 48.8 percent of state income gains from 1979 to 2007—a share in line with the national average of 53.9 percent—according to a new report released...
View Article“Single Sales Factor” Would Cost Substantial Revenue Kentucky Needs for...
A proposal included in Governor Beshear's tax reform plan that would change the way Kentucky calculates state corporate income taxes for big multistate corporations would wipe out one-third of the...
View ArticleDeep Business Tax Cuts Are Not the Key to a Stronger Kentucky Economy
Governor Beshear’s tax reform proposal includes a substantial amount of new business tax cuts aimed at making the state more competitive—even more than were included in the Blue Ribbon Commission...
View ArticleClik here to view.
New Commitment to Need-Based Financial Aid Critical in Context of Rising Tuition
The cost of public higher education in Kentucky has risen by more than 200 percent in the last 15 years, but the state’s financial aid programs have changed very little in response. As a result, the...
View ArticleDiverting Lottery Revenues Makes College Less Affordable For Those Who Need...
The state is increasingly diverting lottery revenues from financial aid programs to help shore up the budget, as described in a Lexington Herald-Leader story today. Those dollars are coming from...
View ArticleFund Transfers Can Harm Needed Programs and Result in Higher Costs
With deep budget shortfalls and very modest revenue growth predicted in the coming biennium, the Governor has put forward $371 million in fund transfers as a way to help balance the 2014-16 state...
View ArticleBudget Cuts Threaten Kentucky’s Ability to Sustain and Grow Progress in Adult...
Each year Kentucky Adult Education (KYAE) helps thousands of Kentuckians across the state prepare to take the GED, improve literacy and increase English as a second language skills. These services have...
View ArticleExpanded Federal Earned Income Tax Credit Would Be Big Benefit to Kentucky...
The President’s budget for 2015 includes several important improvements to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) that, taken together, would help low-wage Kentucky workers and...
View ArticleOp-Ed: Budget's Good News Not Enough for What Ails Kentucky
For a person who is chronically ill, a day of less pain provides welcome comfort but no promise of returning to long-term health. Kentucky finds itself in a similar position when it comes to the new...
View ArticleFact Sheet: The Benefits of a State Earned Income Tax Credit by Legislative...
The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has been shown to help working families afford necessities; provide short- and long-term benefits to children; and support local economies. If Kentucky...
View ArticleInteractive Map: How a State Earned Income Tax Credit Would Benefit Each...
A state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in Kentucky would build on the established benefits of the federal EITC, helping working Kentuckians better afford necessities and stimulating local economies....
View ArticleWhere Dollars Moved in House Version of the State Budget
The version of the state budget the House passed today is very similar to what the governor proposed in January. The main changes in budget allocations involve a little more money for a variety of...
View ArticleInfographic: A State Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for Kentucky
The infographic below shows why adopting a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) would be a good move for Kentucky. A state EITC could help more than 400,000 Kentucky families better afford basic...
View ArticlePrivatization Brings Concerns about Accountability, Quality and Cost
For revenue-strapped state and local governments, contracting with private entities to build or operate public assets like roads and government buildings or provide public services is often proposed as...
View ArticleWhat Revenue Changes Are Moving in the General Assembly
Despite receiving a tax reform proposal from Governor Beshear back in January, there's been little discussion about the need for comprehensive reform in this year's General Assembly. In fact, the state...
View ArticleWhile Kentucky's Budget Faces More Cuts, Profitable Fortune 500 Companies...
As Kentucky and other states struggle with tough budget decisions about essential public services, profitable Fortune 500 companies including Kentucky-based Yum Brands and Humana pay little to nothing...
View ArticleSeverance Tax Dollars Need Stronger Overall Strategy
The House version of the new state budget takes $20 million of coal severance money the governor’s budget had allocated to region-wide programs and local governments and shifts money to over 400...
View Article