Fair Share Network

JOIN The Fair Share Network

• Join the Fair Share Network
• Tax Relief Legislation - 1997 to 2001 Biennia
• Fair Share Revenue Evaluation Criteria
• State Cited For Low Taxes, Cheap Labor
• Big Box and Pop Taxes
• Fair Share Network urges Appropriations Committee Members
• Strapped states see N.J. as role model
• Fair Share Tax Package Menu
• A Gross Receipts Tax Proposal
• Types of Tax Bills
• Fair Share Network Supports SB 332, a Graduated Gross Receipts Tax on Retail Sales Above $10 Million, as Part of a Balanced Revenue Package
• Fair Share Network Supports SB 332, a Graduated Gross Receipts Tax on Retail Sales Above $10 Million, as Part of a Balanced Revenue Package
• Fair Share Network Supports SB 301, a Real Estate Transfer Tax with Exemptions for Primary Residences and Agricultural Lands, as Part of a Balanced Revenue Package
• Montana Gets Mixed Bag In Tax Study
• 2000 Base Budgeting Means Deep Cuts to Health and Human Services
• Progressive Labor Caucus Fair Share Taxation
• Fair Share Network Supports Increasing the Tax On Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products as Part of a Balanced Tax Package
• Fair Share Network Supports Including a Gross Receipts Tax On Certain Hydro-electric Facilities in a Balanced Tax Package
• Fair Share Comments on SJ 5
• Fair Share Network Supports a Car Rental Tax as Part of A Fair Share Revenue Package
• Fair Share Network Supports Maintaining a Business Equipment Tax With Exemptions for Small Businesses
• Fair Share Network Tax Info Packet 1
• Medicaid Impact study by Steve Seninger at UM
• Medicaid: Good Medicine for State
• Medicaid: Good Medicine for State Economies
• Weekly Reviews

Join the Fair Share Network

To: Fair Share Network members and others concerned about health and human service and education funding and fair share budget and revenue strategy.

The Fair Share Network plans to be visible and vocal at the 2003 Legislature. Please join us. After our budget/revenue summit on November 18th, in Helena the convening committee met and outlined a plan of action. (Minutes from the summit are available.)

Organization:

The Fair Share Network, at this time, is an association of interest - not an organization per se. We have made a commitment to support each other’s programs, to share information and to not compete for limited funds. When we testify, etc., we'll be talking from our individual constituency perspective as well as saying we have common interest with others in the Network. The Steering Committee includes: Judy Smith, WORD; Mary Caferro, WEEL; Beth Satre, MCDVSA; Morgan Sheets, NARAL; Terry Kendrick, Montana Women Vote; Mike O’Neil, AWARE.

Fair Share has 3 tiers: Tier 1 -participate in information sharing, email alert system and share a commitment to the Fair Share concept; Tier 2-also participate in a weekly meeting and agree to analyze impacts of bills on constituency; Tier 3, also testify on bills to point out who needs to be paying their fair share.

Action Plan

1. monitoring and testifying in revenue and appropriations committees;
2. educating legislators of both parties on Fair Share budget/revenue analysis and impacts of bills;
3. convening a weekly information sharing meeting;
4. implementing an info/alert email network with web site links;
5. mobilizing constituents with lobby days/rallies;
6. developing a media campaign and
7. providing talking points for organizations and individual constituents, economic analysis of social services and government employment as healthy investments of state dollars in the current budget situation, and a gender analysis of the impacts of cuts on employees who lose jobs and recipients who lose services

This is your invitation to join. Please contact a member of the steering committee or come to our first weekly meeting on Thursday, January 9th at noon at the WEEL office at 825 Helena, (lunch available for $3) and tell us what tier you can commit to. RSVP to Mary at 495-0497.

Please pass the word on to others who would be interested and share our commitment to a Fair Share budget/revenue strategy. We are trying to schedule a revenue/tax training workshop for Fair Share members in early January. We’ll announce the time and place as soon as it is confirmed.

Montana Women Vote! is having a lobby day on Friday, January 10th. We’ll be talking with legislators about women’s concerns, including the Fair Share Network, at noon and invite you to attend.

If you would like some articles on fair share revenue issues and how investing in quality social programs is good for the economy, contact me at this address or give a call at 543-3550.

Fair Share Revenue Evaluation Criteria

Fair Share Network Statement 1/8/03

The Fair Share Network will be present during the 2003 Legislative session in House and Senate Taxation Committees as well as Appropriations. Our Network includes over 30 organizations that advocate and provide services for those impacted by the actual and proposed cuts in health and human services ( low income women and families, children, seniors, at-risk youth, those with disabilities and those with life threatening disease).

Our message to legislators: “No more health and human service cuts. We must find the revenue we need and we all should pay our fair share.” We will be advocating for a Fair Share approach to program cuts and revenue increases and will evaluate budget and revenue proposals’ impacts on our constituencies.

We offer the following Fair Share Revenue Evaluation Criteria:

1. Is the revenue proposal fiscally responsible? Does it achieve a short-term benefit at the expense of a negative long-term impact? Does it adversely affect the state’s fiscal position in 5-10 years?
2. Does the revenue proposal help ensure that all of us are paying our fair share in order to create a healthy economy, state and community? Does it address the fair share goal that all community members, including businesses and individual citizens, are paying for programs and services that build community health, welfare and livability?
3. Does the revenue proposal lessen inequalities? Does it avoid exacerbating income inequalities and burdening those with less resources or influence? For example, raising co-pays and user fees for low-income programs burdens the working poor instead of spreading the cost of providing essential services more broadly.
4. Does the revenue proposal simply shift the tax burden from one group to another? Does it give breaks to one group and increase costs to another group? For example, shifting the costs of education from the state general fund to local property taxes shifted the burden to local residential and commercial property owners.
5. Does the revenue proposal help ensure a balanced revenue approach so the state doesn’t over rely on growth in one part of the economy but draws revenue from the range of economic activity within the state? For example, cutting other taxes while relying on capital gains taxes during the market climb in the 90’s caused a steep decline in state revenues when the stock market plunged.

We, along with Nobel Prize winning economists (1), believe in a time of low economic performance and interest rates that state government spending is more effective than tax cuts in stimulating demand in local economies and thereby generating economic growth and jobs. Tax cuts for businesses and higher income residents often end up in their individual savings accounts, while government dollars are immediately spent in local economies on salaries and services. Raising taxes, when done in a fair share manner, to fund well-managed social programs and public education, benefit working Montana families, even those with low wage jobs. They can then afford to continue working at the low wage jobs the Montana economy creates, receive the childcare, or health care their family needs, and know their children can receive a quality education.

We are anticipating intense debate; we are hoping for real dialog.

Contacts: Judy Smith, Center for Policy Analysis and Community Change, WORD, 543-3550; Mary Caferro, WEEL, 495-0497, Beth Satre, MCADSV, 443-7794; Terry Kendrick, Montana Women Vote, 546-1122.

1) Joseph Stiglitz, Brookings Institution

E-Mail: naswmt@mt.net
(406) 449-6208

25 S. Ewing, Suite 406
Helena, MT 59601
Fax 406/449-2533