24 Aug Eliminating Income Tax in Mississippi Would Pad the Pockets of the Rich

Posted at August 24, 2021 in In the News, Press Release by

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24
Contact: MCJ Communications Coordinator Patrick Taylor, ptaylor@mscenterforjustice.org

 

Jackson, MS – On Wednesday and Thursday, Mississippi lawmakers are hosting hearings to discuss radically changing the state’s tax structure, including completely eliminating Mississippi’s income tax.

 

Vangela M. Wade, president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Justice, issued the following statement: 

 

“It is absolutely outrageous that Mississippi lawmakers would attempt to eliminate Mississippi’s income tax. Make no mistake: This would entrench Mississippi’s already egregious economic inequities. The rich would get a tax break, and the poor would pay for it.

 

“Indeed, the top one percent of income earners in the state would slash their taxes by 3.4 percent, amounting to about $31,476 savings. Meanwhile, the lowest 20 percent of income earners in the state would get a meager 0.2% reduction, amounting to a paltry $24 in savings.

 

“Meanwhile, with all that lost revenue, the state would have to increase the sales tax. Mississippi’s sales taxes would have to increase from 7 percent to 7.8 percent to account for just a quarter of lost individual income tax revenue. Mississippi, the poorest state in the nation, is one of only three states to levy the same sales tax on groceries as on other retail items – 38 states do not tax groceries at all. In other words, cutting income tax means making it much harder for everyday Mississippians to afford food.

 

“Unfortunately, this tax push is just one example in a long history of Mississippi lawmakers using political maneuvering to keep poor people down – especially Black and brown people. We can’t allow lawmakers to succeed in this inequitable, unjust effort.” 

 

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The Mississippi Center for Justice is dedicated to dismantling the state’s culture of inequity and injustice. Support and staffed by attorneys and other professionals, the Center pursues strategies to combat discrimination and poverty statewide.