Fact Sheet Increasing the Working Families Tax Credit would put another $52 million back into the hands of New Mexico’s hard-working families – and the businesses where they will spend it. It also has been shown to improve school performance and health, among other outcomes.
Report Tax credits for low- and moderate-income working families are a common-sense way to spur economic activity by putting money into the hands of consumers who will spend it. They have also been shown to improve health outcomes. These are just some of the reasons New Mexico should increase its Working Families Tax Credit. (State-, county- and legislative district-level data on who claims the WFTC and how much they receive)
Fact Sheet In 2003, the Legislature gave big tax cuts for those with the highest incomes. This, along with tax cuts for corporations that were passed later, has made us too reliable on revenue from oil and gas. It’s also made our tax system less fair. This fact sheet explains.
Fact Sheet Ten years after slashing income tax rates for the well-connected, the Legislature compounded this failed strategy by passing tax cuts for out-of-state corporations. This failed miserably and resulted in a huge loss of revenue. This fact sheet explains the problem and the fix.
Fact Sheet Thanks to large budget cuts over the past decade, college tuition in New Mexico has risen sharply. At the same time, the state's main source of financial aid -- the Lottery Scholarship -- has failed to keep up with rising costs and now covers less than half of average tuition costs. This fact sheet covers the top points from the companion report, Improving College Affordability. (A Working Poor Families publication)
Report States that graduate more college students and ensure that their workers have the skills needed for 21st century jobs have stronger and more competitive economies, higher wages, lower unemployment rates, and lower poverty rates. But New Mexico has not been focused on improving access to post-secondary credentials for lower-income students and older adults that would help lead to a more broadly shared prosperity. Rather, the state is ignoring long-term economic demands, choosing, instead, to continue to be a low-wage state with the highest long-term unemployment rate, have the highest poverty rate among the employed, and have the second worst student loan default rate in the nation. (A Working Poor Families report; state-level data on state-funded financial aid and some characteristics of college students)
Report The San Juan Generating Station in Waterflow, New Mexico, is slated for closure in 2022. Closure of both the mine and plant will eliminate approximately 450 jobs and result in the loss of tax revenue for San Juan County, San Juan Community College, and the local school district. This analysis shows that the complex is a good candidate for redevelopment as a solar photovoltaic plant, saving jobs and tax revenue. (State-level estimates of the fiscal and economic impacts of closing the San Juan Generating Station.)
Fact Sheet The Low Income Comprehensive Tax Rebate (LICTR) was enacted to make our tax system fairer but because it hasn’t been updated in 20 years, it no longer does the job. LICTR was last amended in 1998. Over the last two decades, the rebate has lost much of its value, because a dollar is worth much less today that it was back in 1998. Over the same time period, our tax system has only gotten more regressive – falling even harder on those with the lowest incomes.
Fact Sheet A companion to the report The Cliff Effect: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back, this sums up the report's basic message about how the sudden loss of benefits like child care assistance - called the cliff effect - can act as a disincentive for hard-working families trying to lift themselves out of poverty. Also includes policy recommendations for mitigating the cliff effect. (State-level data on the child care assistance program)
NM KIDS COUNT Data Book After ten years of austerity, New Mexico has fallen to last in the nation in child well-being. The state also lost a lawsuit claiming that it is not meeting its constitutional obligation when it comes to public education. It's time to change course. This annual publication reports the latest data on child well-being in New Mexico to help us choose the path forward. (State-, county-, tribal-, and school district-level data on indicators of child well-being; data by race and ethnicity where available)