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.
Infographic/fact sheet Some legislators have introduced bills that would put the state's sales tax (the gross receipts tax, or GRT) on food purchased at the grocery store. This is a bad idea -- even if it's done as part of an effort to lower the overall GRT rate. With New Mexico's high rates of food insecurity and poverty, a tax on food will hurt even those families who receive SNAP, because these benefits are not intended to meet a family's entire food need. (State-level data on food insecurity, SNAP usage, trade-offs families must make, and an opinion poll on the issue)
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 big tax break enacted in 2003 overwhelming goes to the highest-income earners – the people who are already paying the smallest share of their income in state and local taxes. It costs the state tens of millions of dollars a year and means that unearned income is taxed at a lower rate than money earned from wages. (State-level data on income levels, etc., of those that receive this tax deduction)
Fact sheet New Mexico's annual budget has not kept up with inflation or population growth -- so we're expecting our schools, hospitals, first responders, and more to do what they've always done but with less money. This fact sheet looks at some of the ways the state could raise the revenue it needs to make the necessary investments while making our tax system more fair for hard-working families.
Report The Medicaid expansion, as part of the Affordable Care Act, has been very good for New Mexico. Not only are tens of thousands of New Mexicans able to access health care, the program has brought billions into the state that has created thousands of jobs, economic activity, and tax revenue. (State-level data on the number of jobs created, economic activity, and tax revenue as a result of the expansion)
Fact sheet How did New Mexico get to be last in the nation in child well-being and education? We engaged in 15 years of failed tax policies that prioritized cutting taxes for special interests over investing in our people. This fact sheet looks at what that strategy cost us. (State-level data on the cost of several tax cuts and how lost revenue translated to cuts in spending)
Fact sheet New Mexico’s tax system is upside down—most New Mexico families pay more than twice the rate in state and local taxes than the wealthiest pay. A new state-level Child Tax Credit would help hard-working families and make our tax system more fair. (State-level data on how this tax credit would benefit families)
Fact sheet New Mexico's Working Families Tax Credit works with the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, which has been hailed as one of the best anti-poverty, pro-job creation measures Congress has ever enacted. This fact sheet explains why this tax credit works so well and how New Mexico policymakers could make it even more effective. And it could all be paid for by ending an ineffective tax credit. (State-level data on the Working Families Tax Credit)
Prosperity requires investments. You can’t grow a garden without good soil, water, and some hard work. Same with a state—you can’t have prosperity without resources, infrastructure, and a skilled workforce. But New Mexico has tried to cut its way to prosperity and it hasn't worked. This brief offers several recommendations for raising revenue so lawmakers can invest in our state and its people. (Policy brief)