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Wednesday, December 01, 1999
A State Government Reporter's Guide To The Web: Taxes and Budget Resources
By Joseph Giordono, Staff Writer
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As one of the "new breed" of journalists, it's tough for me to imagine a time when digging for sources and collecting data were done without the help of the Internet. And until the inevitable howling about laziness and old school ethics (much of it valid) dies down, the following sources are among the Web sites that I check daily to try and stay abreast of developments in the world of state taxes and budgets. Though by no means a complete or exclusive list, these are the seven Web sites that I'd be lost without.
National Association of State Budget Officers
http://www.nasbo.org
This is one of the most comprehensive, useful, and easy-to-navigate sites when you have a question regarding state budgets. Not only does the site provide links to every state's budget office, department of revenue and online budget, but the staff researchers also prove willing and informative sources. Budgets being what they are, the NASBO Web site also provides thorough information on how states are allocating funds in such diverse policy areas as transportation, children's health, tobacco settlements and welfare reform.
NASBO also publishes online the Fiscal Survey of the States, which is by far the most comprehensive compendium of state tax and budget actions. It's an invaluable resource for any reporter on the beat, and the ease of access to the Web site makes it all the more useful.
Federation of Tax Administrators
http://www.taxadmin.org
What NASBO is to state budgets, the Federation of Tax Administrators is to tax policy. Made up of employees of all the states' revenue and tax agencies, the FTA is one of the best sources for up-to-date state income tax rates, sales tax rates, excise taxes and corporate income taxes (among others). The site also compiles comparisons of state revenue by tax source, revenue per capita and as a percentage of personal income. Though some of the data is outdated (unless you really need to know the 1992 per capita income projections for Tennessee), the FTA Web site is the most reliable and easiest source to navigate for tax rates online. And if you happen to be employed by a state tax agency or can hack your way in, the Web site serves as host for "Tax Exchange," which is a moderated discussion for tax pros and their watchers.
Multistate Tax Commission
http://www.mtc.gov
The Multistate Tax Commission is the organization by which state governments work with taxpayers to administer, equitably and efficiently, tax laws that apply to multistate and multinational enterprises. And with the rise in catalog sales and Internet transactions, any efforts to simplify or make uniform state sales taxes will likely have to go through this organization. Indeed, one of the most useful documents on the site is the MTC's extremely thorough treatment of its sales tax simplification project. For the every day user, the best part of the MTC Web site is its taxpayer services pages, which provide a wealth of information on everything from alternative tax dispute resolution to sales and use tax registration forms.
The drawback to the site is that unless you're truly interested in press releases titled "Hawaii Revises Statement On Multijurisdictional Resale Certificate," the important and useful information the MTC offers might slip by you. |
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National Conference of State Legislatures--Fiscal Affairs
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/fiscal/fiscal.htm
The National Conference of State Legislatures usually provides a wealth of information online, and their fiscal affairs division is no exception. They publish both State Tax Actions and State Budget Actions, which are no-frills looks at exactly what the states have done with their budgets and tax revenues. The site also provides information on various hot tax topics such as state death taxes, legislative budget procedures, local option taxes and vehicle value taxes. The site also provides contact information to NCSL staff members who, though working toward a state-based agenda, are generally among the most up-to-date and accessible sources. Especially useful is the NCSL's close tracking of the Internet tax debate and its ramifications on state revenue collections.
U.S. Census Bureau--State Data Centers
http://www.census.gov/sdc/www
Though the information on the Census Bureau site is not always the most timely, it is THE source for accurate and relevant data. Almost every other organization bases their numbers on the information from the Census Bureau, so it's sometimes best to cut straight to the original source. Numbers may not lie, but their positioning can. This particular page provides a link to each state's individual data page, where you can find almost everything that eventually makes it into the statistical abstract of the states, published each year.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
http://www.cbpp.org
Tax Foundation
http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxbites.html
For a one-two combination on the perspective of the right or the left on almost any tax-related topic, these are the places to go. You can count on each to argue over the validity of data and the various interpretations thereof. And though the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is as liberal as the Tax Foundation is conservative, both sites provide a surprising amount of interesting and informative takes on tax data. As long as you know who they are before you visit, you'll be OK. |
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For more information, click on Taxes and Budget
A State Government Reporter's Guide To The WebIntroductionGeneral ResourcesWelfare Reform ResourcesUtility Deregulation ResourcesHealthcare ResourcesEducation ResourcesGovernors'/Legislative/State Sites Staff Writer Bios
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 | Stateline.org has put together a list of state public policy resources organized by issue. Here, you will find useful links to essential information from government, academia, and think tanks. If you have a link to add, please email us.
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