AZ Tax Deductions Giving Millions to Wealthy

(August 24, 2010) Itemized deductions on the state income tax cost Arizona millions of dollars in income tax revenue each year while giving the biggest windfall to upper income families.

“No lawmaker would ever devise a spending program to encourage homeownership that gave the biggest checks to the richest taxpayers, while entirely excluding low-income families,” noted Dana Wolfe Naimark, President and CEO of Children’s Action Alliance. “Yet itemized deductions have exactly that effect.”
Read the Press Release.

Cuts to Health, Human Services and Education

(August 3, 2010) Since February 2009, $2.1 billion has been cut out of the state budget in an effort to balance the budget. $1.6 billion of this has been to health, human services and education programs. Many programs have been left completely unfunded, while others have been significantly reduced.  Fact Sheet

Arizona Ranks 39th For Kids

(July 27, 2010) Today Children’s Action Alliance released the 2010 national KIDS COUNT Data Book published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  This annual report compares and ranks states on 10 indicators of child well-being.  Arizona ranks 39 this year, up from 40 last year.  This year’s report is based on data from 2007 and 2008, so it does not yet reflect the impact of the recession and state and local budget cuts.  Arizona has seen improvement in a number of indicators since 2000.  But we are still below the U.S. average in 9 out of 10 indicators and we rank in the bottom 10 states on 4 indicators.  To see how Arizona ranks in the rest of the indicators, click here.  If you would like to learn more about even more indicators, click the image below and you'll be taken to the KIDS COUNT Data Center.

New Fact Sheet on AZ Tax Ranking

(July 22, 2010) Based on data recently released by the US Census Bureau, Arizona ranks 36th for local and state taxes and fees per $100 of personal income.  This has not always been the case – 20 years ago we ranked 9th highest.  Read about how we compare to other states by each tax type and how our tax rates have changed since 1990 in the new fact sheet Tax Rankings.

2010 Elections Page

(June 28, 2010) Election Season is upon us! The CAA 2010 Elections Page has all the information you need to make smart voting choices on behalf of Arizona children and families. Please visit the 2010 Elections Page to find important voting dates, voter registration information, details on the ballot initiatives and information on where candidates stand on issues affecting Arizona’s kids. We recommend that you bookmark this page and check back often as more candidates submit their completed questionnaires, and as we post info on candidate debates and other campaign events.