The Half Sheet

There’s so much good TV these days that some have said we’re in a new Golden Age of TV. That’s up for debate, but one fact is undeniable: more and more of our state tax dollars are subsidizing TV productions despite little evidence of lasting economic gains.

When it comes to helping working families, the federal earned income tax credit (EITC) is one of the biggest success stories we have, lifting three million children out of poverty each year. The credit provides extra support to millions of workers and their families, including over 600,000 working households across Virginia. For families struggling to make ends meet, the EITC helps them put food on the table, pay utility bills, and provide opportunities for their children. And research shows that the positive impacts of the credit can last a lifetime, extending even into adulthood for the children of families who received the credit. 

The House Appropriations and Senate Finance committees are currently considering the governor’s 2018-2020 budget (FYs 2019 and 2020) and amendments to the budget for FY 2018. Click here or on the image below for our summary level assessment of certain key changes in general fund revenues and spending proposed by the governor for FY 2019 and FY 2020 compared to the amended budget which passed in Spring 2017.

On September 5, the Trump Administration announced that it would end DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), the program for immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.

Virginians have a lot at stake if Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders from El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti are forced to leave the country. More than 90 percent of U.S. residents with TPS are from these countries, and Virginia has the fifth largest TPS population of all states from these three countries.

The GOP tax proposals in the House and Senate are a bad deal for most Virginia families. They’re also a bad deal for Virginia’s communities and a bad deal for Virginia’s schools.

It might be called the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, but neither aspects of this title are necessarily true or likely for many Virginia families.

Termination notices are scheduled to be sent to thousands of Virginia families on December 1 letting them know that health insurance for their children will end early next year; that is, unless Congress takes steps to mitigate an impending crisis of their own making that would see around 65,000 Virginia children and 1,100 pregnant women lose their health coverage.

Lawmakers want to have sufficient state revenue to build up reserve funds and invest in ongoing commitments to education and healthcare. Cleaning up costly tax credits needs to be part of the equation.

What we need is tax reform that ensures everyone contributes their fair share to build the thriving communities that we all want to live in. To get there though, we can’t afford to provide lucrative tax giveaways to those who need it least while providing a relative pittance to average Virginians.

We have compiled the latest data in an easy-to-read one page infographic that offers a snapshot of the key facts about immigrants in the state and the economic contributions immigrants make to our economy.

It’s important that voters know how the candidates plan to improve educational opportunities and give every student a chance to pursue their career ambitions and to help grow Virginia’s economy.