AFP-AL State Director: Alabama’s Tax Debate Deserves an Honest Hearing

Alabama’s income tax has become a flashpoint in this year’s lieutenant governor’s race, and AFP-AL State Director Adam Thompson says that’s a good thing — as long as the conversation stays honest.

In a new op-ed published in Yellowhammer News, Thompson lays out the case for taking a serious, fact-based look at Alabama’s tax structure rather than dismissing the idea of reform outright. He points to Alabama’s ranking of #37 nationally on the Tax Foundation’s State Tax Competitiveness Index, compared to neighbors Tennessee and Florida, which both rank in the Top 10. At the same time, Alabama’s Education Trust Fund, the primary beneficiary of income tax revenue, just received a $10.5 billion budget with a $570 million surplus appropriation on top of it.

Thompson’s argument isn’t that Alabama should eliminate the income tax. It’s that the state can’t evaluate that question seriously while treating it as untouchable.

Read the full op-ed at Yellowhammer News.