(October 2024) A public forum on the state income tax will be held Tuesday, November 19 at 5 p.m. at the Red & Blue Event Center (1415 W. 7th Street) in Little Rock.  The venue is conveniently located close to the state Capitol and policymakers are expected to participate in the discussion, “Arkansas Tax Policy: Past, Present, And Future.”

“The state’s income tax should be reduced …  reduce marginal rates, exempt taxpayers below a certain income level from filing, and expedite  indexing for inflation.”  Improving Productivity by Reducing Taxes and Taxes and Savings in Arkansas.   Policy Foundation, 1998 studies

There is no charge to attend the forum, which is expected to last one hour.

Light refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be available for guests at the forum.

The forum will include a question-and-answer sessions after presentations.

Income Tax Cut To 3.9%

Arkansas policymakers have cut the top income tax rate from 7.0% to 3.9% in the last decade, the second-largest rate reduction at the state level in the U.S.

Policymakers have cut the rate in a responsible manner using surplus revenues.

Moderator and Panelists

Americans for Prosperity Foundation Arkansas Director Ryan Norris will serve as moderator. The non-profit’s mission statement states it seeks to “educate Americans on solutions that expand freedom and opportunity,” including “building an economy where everyone has an opportunity to find success.”

Policy Foundation Executive Director Greg Kaza will explain how Arkansas policymakers have cut the tax using surplus revenues. Arkansas’ job creation rate trailed the U.S. average before Jan. 1, 2015, effective date of the first significant tax cut.  Today, Arkansas tops the U.S. in the current expansion.

Other forum participants are Richard Evans, Ph.D.  of the Abundance Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah; and Joe Bishop-Henchman, executive vice-president of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Contact Information

Please contact the Policy Foundation at (501) 537-0825 with any questions about the November 19 forum.