{"id":35554,"date":"2012-01-24T11:55:47","date_gmt":"2012-01-24T18:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=35554"},"modified":"2012-01-24T11:55:53","modified_gmt":"2012-01-24T18:55:53","slug":"it%e2%80%99s-time-for-tax-fairness-and-transparency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2012\/01\/it%e2%80%99s-time-for-tax-fairness-and-transparency\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s time for tax fairness and transparency"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Stephanie<\/a>

Stephanie Maez-Gibson<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s time to close the tax loophole for out-of-state corporations and provide more transparency and accountability when it comes to tax \u201cincentives.\u201d Will we choose the priorities of Wall Street or Main Street?<\/h4>\n

New Mexicans share core values of fairness, transparency and accountability. They also have an abiding faith in democracy. Thus, it is disappointing when the debates that occur at the highest levels of government over the policies that affect people\u2019s lives often fail so miserably to reflect these basic core values.<\/p>\n

Where are the jobs? That\u2019s the question foremost on minds of everyday New Mexicans.<\/p>\n

Yet while far too many New Mexico families continued to suffer through job loss, stagnant incomes and foreclosures, one proposal did not pass the Legislature last year \u2013 an initiative that would have gone a long way toward restoring some semblance of fairness and balance.<\/p>\n

\"Tom\u00e1s<\/a>

Tom\u00e1s Gardu\u00f1o<\/p><\/div>\n

That proposal would have closed the tax loophole for out-of-state corporations \u2013 a tax giveaway that enables these corporations to avoid paying their fair share. All while New Mexico small businesses continue to invest in vital community services such as public safety and education.<\/p>\n

Another proposal, which did pass during last year\u2019s legislative session, unfortunately fell victim to the governor\u2019s veto pen. It would have created a formal mechanism of accountability and transparency by requiring an independent review of all tax incentives.<\/p>\n

So just at the time when New Mexicans most needed more transparency and accountability on the job creation front, this long-overdue reform was shot down. It would have established a strong, independent review policy to determine which of the large number of corporate tax giveaways stuffed throughout New Mexico\u2019s tax code were actually delivering on their original promise to create actual jobs.<\/p>\n

Tax \u201cincentives\u201d are fine, but New Mexicans have a right to know that they work, that they actually produce measurable results. This is what we mean by accountability.<\/p>\n

Today the Legislature is back in session. And once again, it must grapple with the problems bearing down on middle-class working families.<\/p>\n

New Mexico is at a crossroads<\/h3>\n

Nothing could be more obvious. The public policies needed to address our state\u2019s challenges must be accessible and clear in the matter of who pays and who benefits. But with their armies of lobbyists, big corporations and the financial sector know how to play the game of pay-to-play in New Mexico.<\/p>\n

New Mexico families can\u2019t afford a lobbyist.<\/p>\n

Yet they\u2019re the ones on the hook when bad public policy is enacted. When out-of-state corporations take advantage of loopholes that sap our communities of resources needed for necessary investments in education and public safety, the consequences can be catastrophic.<\/p>\n

The damage caused by these irresponsible policies are there for all to see \u2013 reductions in resources for firefighters and emergency responders, fewer teachers and increased student class sizes in our schools.<\/p>\n

This is not how an attractive climate for new business activity to flourish is created.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time that the governor and our lawmakers take note \u2013 if given the choice and all of the information, there can be little doubt that New Mexicans would defend the everyday heroes \u2013 our teachers and public safety personnel \u2013 against out-of-state corporations that earn and export massive profits while not paying their fair share.<\/p>\n

An engaged citizenry is vital to our democracy<\/h3>\n

In order to engage all New Mexicans in these crucial policy debates, we\u2019re distributing educational materials<\/a> that focus on how state government affects the lives of everyday people \u2013 individuals and communities in New Mexico.<\/p>\n

These fact-based materials are being made available to the public, as well as to constituents of legislators who serve on key committees that hear legislation focused on jobs, taxes, and the budget.<\/p>\n

Moreover, due to redistricting, many constituencies will soon discover that they are represented by new state legislators.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all the more reason why we want to help every New Mexican to be better able to engage in an active dialogue with their respective legislators and the executive. We\u2019re fortunate to have a citizen state legislature that is accessible and responsive to everyday constituents. But our lawmakers can only respond when they hear the people. And to be heard the people must speak out.<\/p>\n

New Mexico stands at this crossroads facing a fateful decision. Will we choose the priorities of Wall Street or Main Street?<\/p>\n

We believe that New Mexicans deserve a state government that reflects the values they hold dear \u2013 fairness, transparency, accountability and hard work. It\u2019s time to choose policies that generate jobs for the people of New Mexico rather than padding profits for out-of-state corporations that can afford to buy influence.<\/p>\n

New Mexicans are open and honest and we entrust our elected officials to uphold those same values. When they don\u2019t, we believe in a New Mexican citizenry \u2013 fully informed and engaged \u2013 that will hold them accountable.<\/p>\n

Maez-Gibson is incoming chief executive officer at the Center for Civic Policy<\/a>, and Gardu\u00f1o is co-director at the SouthWest Organizing Project<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time to close the tax loophole for out-of-state corporations and provide more transparency and accountability when it comes to tax \u201cincentives.\u201d Will we choose the priorities of Wall Street or Main Street?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2539,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192,16],"tags":[118,107],"class_list":["post-35554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","category-guest-columns","tag-economy","tag-roundhouse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35554\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}