Friday Facts and Figures is a brief digital newsletter focusing on data points from NJPP reports, research, and policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
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$200 Million
This year’s state budget assumes $200 million in revenue from a non-recurring tax-amnesty program, which launched last week. Through January 15, the state is waiving penalties and interest payments for individuals and businesses behind on their taxes. Past amnesty programs have had mixed success, so there’s a real possibility the Murphy administration will have to make midyear spending cuts should the program bring in less revenue than projected. [NJ Spotlight / John Reitmeyer]
66 Percent
According to a new survey by Ernst & Young, a majority of millennials (age 20 to 36) believe the US tax system is unfair. Of the 1,202 individuals surveyed, 66 percent believe corporations pay too little in taxes and 64 percent believe high-net-worth individuals do not pay their fair share. [Ernst & Young LLP]
87 Percent
White households own 87 percent of the nation’s wealth despite comprising only 65 percent of all households, according to a new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The report explores the link between the nation’s legacy of white supremacy and state and local tax policy, outlines how tax policy has been weaponized to harm communities of color, and provides a roadmap to a more equitable tax system. [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities / Michael Leachman, Michael Mitchell, et al]
$2.1 Million
New Jersey has allocated $2.1 million in funding to provide free, court-appointed counsel for low-income immigrants facing deportation. This funding was included in this year’s budget and will ensure due process in immigration courts. A recent NJPP report found that individuals detained for civil immigration violations are three-times more likely to win their cases when represented by an attorney. [NJ.com / Brent Johnson]
750
Camden-based Cooper University Hospital is raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2019, giving a much-needed boost in pay to approximately 750 workers. Cooper’s chairman, George Norcross, described the decision as a “no-brainer,” and is calling on other health systems in New Jersey and Pennsylvania to do the same. [Cherry Hill Courier Post / Phaedra Trethan]
ICYMI
If your holiday meal included potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, or apple pie, you should consider thanking New Jersey farm workers like Juan Garcia. In an op-ed in NJ.com, Juan details how he and his colleagues labor through harsh conditions while earning low wages to provide fresh produce for all of us to enjoy. New Jersey wouldn’t be the Garden State without its farm workers, which is why it’s critical that any effort to raise the state’s minimum wage leaves no worker behind. Happy belated-Thanksgiving! [NJ.com / Juan Garcia]
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