Think You Know a Lot about Federal Taxes?

Posted by Christopher Lilienthal on April 17, 2012 1:29 pm
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Taxes MatterThe good folks at The American Prospect and Demos have been making a compelling case for tax reform with a series of blog posts over the past week. It is a must read for anyone who cares about improving tax fairness.

Morning Must Reads: Happy Equal Pay Day

Posted by Mark Price on April 17, 2012 8:32 am
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April 17 is Equal Pay Day, which the National Committee on Equal Pay defines as:

This date symbolizes how far into 2012 women must work to earn what men earned in 2011.

In the spirit of Equal Pay Day, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this morning has a profile of Lilly Ledbetter.

This Tax Day, Say No to Loopholes

Posted by Christopher Lilienthal on April 16, 2012 2:26 pm
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It's that time of year again — time to file your state and federal tax returns. At the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center's web site, we have a resource page showing you how your tax dollars are spent and why closing tax loopholes is such a big priority.

Federal taxes finance various public services, including Social Security, national defense and health care services, as the chart to the right from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities illustrates.

Morning Must Reads: Falling State Support For Higher Ed, Rising Student Loan Debt & Tax Expenditures for What?

The third article in The Philadelphia Inquirer series Struggling for Work: Broken Dreams of a New Generation appeared Sunday. It takes a look at the rising student loan burden that college graduates face.

Third and State This Week: Better Budget Choices, Income Inequality After the Recession & the Minimum Wage

This week at Third and State, we blogged about March state revenues and better budget choices, income inequality in the wake of the recession, efforts to raise the minimum wage, and much more. Plus an early Tax Day Friday Funny.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

  • On the state budget, Michael Wood wrote about some hopeful news in the March revenue collections, and Chris Lilienthal shared an op-ed by the co-chairs of Better Choices for Pennsylvania calling on lawmakers to close loopholes and delay unaffordable tax cuts before making more cuts that hurt children and families.
  • On income inequality, intern Jheanelle Chambers blogged about an eye-popping chart from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities showing that in 2009, despite the weak economy, the top 1% of households captured $1.32 trillion in gross income while the bottom 50% earned $1.06 trillion.
  • In a Morning Must Read on jobs and wages, Mark Price blogged that it is time to get serious about raising the minimum wage in Pennsylvania and the nation.
  • In other Morning Must Reads this week, Mark Price highlighted news reports on the challenges facing young workers in this economy; macho governors; and why women tend to be hurt more than men by public-sector job cuts.
  • And the Friday Funny featured a video from Citizens for Tax Justice on Mitch, a shoe store manager who wants to pay no taxes like GE.

More blog posts next week. Keep us bookmarked and join the conversation!

Friday Funny: Mitch Who Wants to Pay No Taxes

Posted by Third and State on April 13, 2012 9:34 am
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Mitch wants to pay no taxes, just like GE, but sadly his accountant tells him no dice. Mitch responds: "So you are telling me that if I am not General Electric and not Mitt Romney and just Mitch, the shoe store manager, I have to pay more taxes than Warren Buffett?"

Sit back for three minutes and enjoy this funny little cartoon from the good folks at Citizens for Tax Justice.

Lunch Time Must Reads: Gender, Employment and the Public Sector

Catherine Rampell at The New York Times explores recent claims made in the Presidential campaign about job loss by gender.

Memo to Lawmakers: There Are Better Choices

Posted by Christopher Lilienthal on April 11, 2012 2:49 pm
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Peg Dierkers and Stephen Drachler, co-chairs of the Better Choices for Pennsylvania Coalition, had a great op-ed in the Delaware County Daily Times last weekend presenting a better alternative to the state budget path being blazed by Governor Corbett.

Morning Must Reads: Macho Macho Governors

The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer have stories on a Government Accountability Office report that disputes claims made by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to justify his cancelation of a tunnel project between New York and New Jersey.

A Recovery for the 1%

This blog post was authored by Jheanelle Chambers, an intern with the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center.

Even in a Down Year, Top 1% Have More Total Income Than Bottom 50 Percent CombinedWhile many middle-class Americans are still struggling in a down economy, the 1% is doing quite well.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has an eye-popping chart (right) showing that in 2009, despite the weak economy, the top 1% of households captured $1.32 trillion in gross income while the bottom 50% earned $1.06 trillion.

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