Good Idea in Mississippi

As we reported in a recent digest Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has appointed members to a commission to consider tax reform.  The Mississippi Economic Policy Center (MEPC) this week published an op-ed that hopefully legislators and members of the Commission will take very seriously. Ed Sivak, Director of MEPC, says the Magnolia State has "been given the opportunity to strengthen the tax code by making it less regressive." The state has a tax structure that ensures that low and middle income families pay a far higher share of their income in state and local taxes than do the wealthiest Mississippi families.

Policymakers would do well to follow Sivak's advice and follow in the footsteps of 22 other states (plus DC) by enacting an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC helps lift working families out of poverty and would go a long way to ensure that Mississippi's tax structure is fairer. For more on the EITC read here.