Tax Fairness & Budget Adequacy Publications
A Blueprint for a State in the Red
Policy Brief After years of enacting ineffective tax breaks for profitable corporations and other special interests, New Mexico's tax system now fails to bring in the revenue needed to make the investments that create strong communities and a robust economy. This policy brief goes over the many ways lawmakers could bring in the money needed for our critical public investments.
Cuts to Medicaid will make New Mexico’s budget problems worse
Fact Sheet Every year, as we continue to give away much-needed revenue in the form of ineffective tax cuts, New Mexico must revisit this choice: do we protect tax cuts for corporations and the rich and continue to under-fund critical services like health care and education or do we raise new revenue and invest in the programs that make New Mexico’s people and economy strong and healthy?
How trickle-down economics “works” for New Mexico’s students
Infographic Trickle-down economics were touted for years as an economic tool for creating jobs. Tax cuts do change the way in which money flows through the economy, but not quite in the way proponents promised.
HSD inefficiencies cost New Mexico money and deny eligible families food and medical assistance
Fact Sheet For a quarter of a century New Mexico has been under a court order to improve how it processes applications for food and health care benefits. Yet it continues to be in contempt of court. This fact sheet looks at the problems and presents solutions. Produced in conjunction with the NM Center on Law and Poverty. (State-level data on NM HSD's problems processing Medicaid and SNAP applications)
Everything you need to know about NM’s FY17 budget in one infographic
Infographic Faced with falling revenue and unwilling to raise taxes, New Mexico's Legislature made deep cuts in some critical programs. But, as this infographic shows, one area of the budget actually saw increases.
New Mexico’s race to the bottom
Infographic Cutting taxes in the hope that jobs will be created is a "race to the bottom" as state revenues decline and services like education, health care and public safety are cut. Investing in our state's human capital and infrastructure is a "race to the top" that will make New Mexico attractive to employers.
Our budget is in crisis
Fact Sheet Between the recent drop in oil and gas prices, the state's sluggish economy, and a decade worth of tax cuts, New Mexico is not bringing in enough revenue to properly fund services like education, health care and public safety. This fact sheet lays out several options lawmakers have for raising new revenue.
A Health Impact Assessment of a Food Tax in New Mexico
Report Could something as seemingly small as a tax on groceries be detrimental to the health of some New Mexicans? This health impact assessment shows that taxing food - as some lawmakers at both the local and state levels are considering - could do harm to families who already struggle to put enough food on their table. (State-level data on family economic well-being)
The Gila River Diversion: A drain on limited state resources that are better spent elsewhere
Policy Brief The Gila River diversion is not only bad for the environment, it’s a terrible way to invest what could end up being as much as $1 billion of taxpayer money. There are better ways to meet our state’s water needs and much more important investments to make with those public funds.
Child Well-Being in New Mexico: Data and Policy Recommendations
Presentation Looks at KIDS COUNT and other data on some of the areas where New Mexico does poorly in terms of child well-being. Looks briefly at how recession-era spending cuts and a regressive tax system have exacerbated conditions, and offers some policy recommendations to address them. Presented to the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee. (State-level data on indicators of child well-being)