Southern NM Journalism Collaborative--Bill Jordan of the nonprofit New Mexico Voices for Children pointed to annual child wellbeing rankings in which New Mexico regularly finishes last or near last in the nation. “One of the things we know from the data is our kids are behind before they ever get to school,” he said. “We urge you to invest in our own kids over Wall Street.”
Fact Sheet By increasing the personal income tax for just the highest-income earners – those who have been relatively unharmed by the pandemic and are in the best position to afford it – we can take an important first step in generating the stable revenue necessary to invest in the programs and services (like education, health care, and modern infrastructure) that promote shared prosperity and well-being for all New Mexicans.
Las Cruces Sun-News--Bill Jordan of New Mexico Voices for Children, said the earned income tax credit has proven to be one of the most effective measures in fighting poverty. “Building on this credit is a targeted and effective way to help low-income families and families of color who have been hit especially hard during this pandemic,” he said.
Carlsbad Current Argus--While the extraction of oil and natural gas in New Mexico is mostly done on public lands, the state has less authority over the process than you might think. And while the industry puts a lot of money into our public schools, it could put a lot more money in if the state made the rules. Unfortunately, because much of the public land where drilling takes place here is actually federal land, we must rely on the federal government to set the rules.
While the oil and gas industry has brought a lot of money into New Mexico, it can also end up costing us money - lots of money. When wells no longer produce, they are abandoned. Responsible companies cap these old wells and clean up the surrounding area. But not all old wells are capped and cleaned - especially when the company has gone bankrupt. This gif-splainer lays out the problem and the solution.
By James Jimenez, New Mexico In Depth Jan. 19, 2021 We can build the kind of New Mexico we all want – one where jobs pay a family-sustaining wage and children receive a world-class education [...]
Capital and Main--“All the tax breaks in the world for business aren’t going to make a difference if people don’t have money to spend,” he says. They get more money to spend by working at better jobs. And they get better jobs through better education, and through businesses attracted to a state with better infrastructure.”
Fact Sheet Families need economic relief now, and this state rebate can provide relief for those who need it most. But it hasn't been updated in more than two decades. Improving this rebate would make our tax system more equitable and ensure that all New Mexicans can survive through and thrive after the pandemic. (State-level data on child well-being and impacts of the tax rebate)
Tuesday’s meeting of the Revenue Stabilization & Tax Policy Committee included a sobering reminder of the urgent need to find more stable revenue, but it also provided cause for hope – by reforming an unstable, inequitable tax structure, New Mexico can better serve the state’s children and future.
“We are very excited to be welcoming NMEPHN into the NM Voices family,” said James Jimenez, executive director of the child advocacy agency. “Our portfolio of environmental work has increased tremendously over the past several years, so this new partnership makes perfect sense.”