Federal tax policy
“We see a Kentucky that pays its bills and balances its budgets by accepting all the federal funds that we receive, and by raising our own state revenue in a fair and responsible way. I have seen is the impact that necessary functions of government have had on my life. We have an opportunity to build on these strengths that we’ve worked so hard for. This is the reality that we want to build on. It’s not only the right thing to do – it’s the smart thing to do. We all share a common future.”
Greg Capillo
Lexington
The impact of the federal budget in Kentucky
For every dollar Kentuckians pay in federal taxes, we get back between $1.51 and $1.82 in federal investments, depending on which study is consulted.
An excerpt from a Lexington Herald-Leader article by John Cheeves (May 16, 2010) details the federal funds that help run Kentucky and our economy. Below is a partial list, using data from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and other government agencies:
- Funding for flood insurance – $2.1 billion a year
- Mortgage insurance – $877 million
- Crop insurance – $667 million
- Food stamps – $674 million
- Veterans disability benefits – $478 million
- Pell Grants for 137,000 of Kentucky’s college students – $182 million
- Head Start for 16,000 children – $100 million
- Eighty percent of Kentucky's Medicaid costs are paid with federal funds.
Resources
Here are some national organizations that provides lots of information and resources on federal tax policy:
Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (including a Kentucky page)
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Also, our friends at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy track some reports that examine the federal budget implications for Kentuckians.
Some of our best opportunities for achieving a better quality of life for all Kentuckians – and some of our biggest threats against it – are the federal economic policies being decided in Congress.
Kentucky’s two senators and six representatives play a prominent role in these decisions. Sen. Mitch McConnell, as the minority floor leader in the Senate, and Rep. Hal Rogers, as the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, are in very public positions of power. Sen. Rand Paul, though in his first-term, is a dominant voice in the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party. Other House members have influential committee positions.
Through tax and budget policies, they are making major decisions affecting environmental protection, access to affordable education, health and wellness services, child nutrition and many other programs and priorities that affect every Kentuckian's opportunity to succeed. And since Kentucky's tax system largely mirrors the federal tax code, these decisions may also affect Kentucky's ability to raise the revenue we need on the state level.
KFTC members are making our voices heard in Washington, D.C. on federal economic policies that impact our commonwealth.
Kentuckians urge relief and a fundamental reshaping of our economy
A statement from Kentuckians For The Commonwealth
as House COVID relief plan advances
February 23, 2021
Kentuckians are hurting, but Sen. McConnell does nothing
Kentuckians are hurting from the triple whammy of long-term economic distress, the COVID-19 health crisis, and collapse of jobs and income due to the pandemic. According to a recent story in the Washington Post, 1/2 of all adults in Kentucky have lost some employment income since March, 1/4 of all Kentuckians say they do not get enough food to eat, and 1/3 of all Kentucky households struggle to pay the rent or mortgage.
Yet Sen. Mitch McConnell, arguably the most powerful member of Congress, seems to have turned his back on the people he represents, and millions of people in the United States.
Fixing What's Broke, Updated 2019
This is a slightly updated version, released in July 2019, of a report KFTC first published in 2018 about a trio of legislative proposals Congress needs to pass to do right by our miners and communities: The Reclaim Act, a bill to strengthen funding for the black lung disability trust fund, and a bill to protect miners' pensions.
Morehead Local Resolution on Black Lung and RECLAIM Act, 2018
In the fall of 2018, the City of Morehead was among more than 14 local governments in KY to pass local resolutions urging Congress to pass the RECLAIM Act, Support miners pensions, and strengthen funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.
City of Lynch resolution about Black Lung & RECLAIM Act, 2018
In the fall of 2018, the City of Lynch was among more than a dozen local governments to pass a local resolution calling for Congress to pass the RECALIM Act, strengthen the black lung disability trust fund, and protect miners' pensions.
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