January 11, 2010 – Group Proposes Revenue Raising Options That Won’t Hurt NM’s Working Families

Better Choices NM launches 9 Ways in 9 Days campaign

Continued cuts to the state budget will lead to more unemployment, stall the state’s economic recovery, and hurt working families far more than targeted tax increases. That’s the message Better Choices New Mexico (BCNM) would like state legislators to hear when they convene later this month to hammer out an operating budget for the coming fiscal year. To that end, BCNM is launching a 9 Ways in 9 Days campaign. The group will release a fact sheet every day for the next nine days outlining ways the state could raise revenue that would be the least detrimental to New Mexico’s working families.

“New Mexico has been hit hard and working families are hurting. People who’ve never had to ask for help in their lives are finding themselves in desperate financial straits,” said Reverend Holly Beaumont, legislative advocate for NM Conference of Churches, which is a member of BCNM. “We must make sure we don’t do anything that will make things tougher for them,” she added.

BCNM, an alliance of groups and organizations, is concerned that most of the proposals being floated to address the state’s declining revenues have involved funding cuts to agencies and programs such as education, health care and public safety. Further cuts will reduce opportunity, increase economic insecurity and stall recovery.

A balanced approach–one that includes targeted tax increases–will strengthen the middle class by protecting investments in the state’s future prosperity, while promising new opportunity and offering a helping hand for families faced with growing economic insecurity.

Scaling back investments in education, health care, public safety, infrastructure, and transportation will severely undermine the foundations of New Mexico’s future prosperity. Lay-offs and furloughs will have a reverse stimulus effect, reducing income streams to local businesses and increasing unemployment. Drastic reductions in the critical services that more and more families, children and elderly are now needing to fall back on will only make matters worse.

The first “way,” introduced , discusses the importance of closing corporate tax loopholes, like the one that permits out-of-state corporations to avoid paying New Mexico corporate income tax on profits earned here. New Mexico is the only state west of the Rockies with this loophole.

Way 1 of 9 Ways in 9 Days – Corporate Tax Loopholes

Way 2 of 9 Ways in 9 Days – Sin Taxes

Way 3 of 9 Ways in 9 Days – Capital Gains

Way 4 of 9 Ways in 9 Days – Severance Tax Transfer

Way 5 of 9 Ways in 9 Days – Compensating Tax

Way 6 of 9 Ways in 9 Days – Personal Income Tax Add Back

Way 7 of 9 Ways in 9 Days – Repeal Coal Exemption & New Tax on Special Fuels

Way 8 of 9 Ways in 9 Days – Personal Income Tax

Way 9 of 9 Ways in 9 Days – Transparency in Government 

Special Session 20 Ways in 20 Days Campaign:  

20 Ways/20 Days: Overview of all 20 Ways

20 Ways/20 Days One-Pagers…

• Day 1: 20 Ways in 20 Days
• Day 2: Drug Courts
• Day 3: Truancy Prevention/Dropout Program
• Day 4: NM Courts
• Day 5: Medicaid Adult Dental Programs
• Day 6: College Affordability Fund
• Day 7: Child and Adult Protective Services
• Day 8: Pre-Kindergarten
• Day 9: NM School Based-Health Centers
• Day 10: Veterans’ Services
• Day 11: Childcare Assistance
• Day 12: Medicaid Waivers
• Day 13: K-12 Public Education
• Day 14: Adult Basic Education
• Day 15: Public Safety
• Day 16: NM Housing Trust Fund
• Day 17: General Assistance Program
• Day 18: State Coverage Insurance
• Day 19: Child Support Enforcement
• Day 20: Prescription Drug Support