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- Stateline Story
Forest of Ballot Initiatives Being Readied For November
Across the United States, ballot initiatives--proposed laws submitted to a vote of the people -- are an increasingly popular method of public policy making. In November, between 60 and 70 initiatives covering everything from video poker to gay rights are expected to appear on the ballots of the 24 states that currently allow for these measures. The initiative process was conceived as a way to give voters more say on public policy, but some analysts like Washington Post political writer David Broder say it has become a tool of big-moneyed special interests. more
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- Stateline Story
Now A Trickle, Internet Tax Filings Viewed As Wave of Future
Among the 42 states that collect income taxes, 12 allow residents to file cost-free returns using state Web sites. That's expected to produce a tiny number of tax returns -- about 200,000 -- this year. But in a short while the trickle should grow into a tsunami, tax expert Verenda Smith predicts. more
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- Stateline Story
More States Cut Income Taxes Of Poor Families
A growing number of states are taking advantage of overflowing revenues to relieve the tax burden on poor families, a new study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has found. In 1999, fewer than half the states that impose an income tax -- 20 out of 41 -- collected revenues from families earning less than the official poverty line. Since 1991, four states have raised their tax thresholds to exempt these families. Two more, Delaware and New Jersey, will stop taxing poor families over the next two years. Altogether in the 1990s, 19 of the 41 income-tax states significantly cut or eliminated taxes on poor families, the study by the liberal-leaning Washington think tank showed. more
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- Stateline Story
Wyoming One of Few States Facing Economic Hard Times
Smack in the middle of the longest economic boom in U.S. history, Wyoming is one of a handful of states saddled with a deficit, instead of a record-setting surplus. more
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- Stateline Story
Clinton Posting Mediocre Domestic Record, Scholars Say
President Clinton sent his budget for the 2001 fiscal year -- the last of his presidency -- to Capitol Hill Monday (2/7), with the expectation that lawmakers will consider a host of spending increases in his favorite domestic programs: public education, health care, middle-class tax cuts and welfare. The Clinton budget, like his State of the Union speech, is expected to be short on grand designs. Many scholars say Clinton's style of incrementalism may deprive him of an enduring legacy. For a review of Clinton's domestic policy achievements, click on more
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- Stateline Story
On the Record: Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci
When it comes to levying sales taxes on e-commerce, Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci, Colorado Gov. Bill Owens and Virginia Gov. James Gilmore have emerged as the gubernatorial Big Three opposed to the practice. Moments after testifying before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee on Internet Taxation this week (Wednesday), Cellucci talked to Stateline.org Senior Writer Blair S. Walker about why he believes the Internet needs to remain tax-free. more
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- Stateline Story
On The Record: An Interview with Tax Expert John Petersen
With this item, Stateline.org inaugurates a new feature designed to give you a better perspective on what's happening in the state capitals: occasional question & answer sessions with top authorities on state policy issues. Senior Writer Blair S. Walker recently spoke with John E. Petersen, director of the Government Finance Group, a financial advisory and research firm based in Arlington, Va. A recent appointee to Virginia's tax commission, Petersen writes a regular finance column for "Governing" magazine and last year authored a study on the future of Michigan's state and local taxation. more
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- Stateline Story
Internet Raises Questions About States Rights
The Internet is rapidly transforming how states deliver services -- a development that officials and citizens alike agree is positive. But the dawn of the new cyberworld has potentially negative ramifications for state's rights because the borderless environment it creates makes it harder to enforce state laws. In fact, one attorney general describes the Internet as "the wild wild West without a sheriff." For more on this, click on more
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- Stateline Story
Tax Cut Fever Grips Maryland Lawmakers
Maryland's General Assembly begins a four-month session Wednesday, and the biggest issue facing the lawmakers is how to dispose of an unprecedented $1 billion budget surplus. But there are other items on the agenda as well, including gun control, land use and growth, and managed healthcare reform. For more on this, click on more
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- Stateline Story
States Plan Further Tax Cuts In 2000
A National Conference of State Legislatures survey shows that 12 states and the District of Columbia expect to make further tax cuts in 2000. A number of other states plan to follow suit as soon as tax-cut plans are written, indicating that the economic prosperity that most states enjoyed in the 1990s will carry over into the new millennium. more