Lobbyist for a Day – and More
April 2, 2007
I joined other supporters of Alabama Arise last Thursday in Montgomery for Arise’s Lobby Day. This was a first for me and a learning experience as well. Folks gathered for an issue briefing and then we were sent to try to meet up with our representatives, to encourage their support for our causes.
It’s sort of hit and miss as to whether or not you can find your representatives. It’s a busy place full of busy people. (I was especially struck by the large number of young mothers with their young children, there to lobby on behalf of midwife legislation.)
Arise hosted a lunch to which all the legislators were invited. There I got to spend a couple of minutes with my representative, Mike Hill. I thanked him for his support of constitutional reform legislation (he’s a co-sponsor of a bill right now) and encouraged him to be supportive of further tax reform.
Which takes us to…
Tax Reform, the Next Step
After lunch Senator John Knight presented his proposal for taking the next step in tax reform. Senator Knight has been a dogged champion of this cause for a long time. With Arise’s input, he has a great proposal toward further tax fairness in Alabama. You can see the proposal at the Arise site here. Click on the link to get a PDF file of the plan.
The Birmingham News came out in support of the plan in yesterday’s paper. They point out that, while Alabama has made a good first step last year in making our taxes fairer, we are still number one in the amount of income tax we take from a family of four below the poverty threshold - $383.
The plan’s basics: removing the state's 4 percent sales tax on groceries; raising the standard deduction for couples from $4,000 to $10,700; raising the dependent child deduction, which ranges from $300 to $1,000 depending on a family's income, to $2,000 per child at all incomes; and removing the deduction of federal income taxes on state taxes.
It’s that last item that could present the biggest hurdle. The News points out that this will require a constitutional amendment. True, this part of the plan does raise taxes on some Alabamians, but for most us it’s very little. Those with the largest incomes benefit far more from this deduction. Removing the federal tax deduction, while at the same time implementing the other elements of the plan, will benefit most of us at the bottom line and will shift the tax burden away from the poor and toward citizens of means.
What this means is that we need to lobby in two directions – first, with our legislators to pass the plan, and then with our friends, families and neighbors to vote for the plan.
It’s a long road ahead but the destination is worth the traveling!
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