Child advocates seek tax relief

• By ALLEN M. JOHNSON JR.
• Advocate New Orleans bureau
• Published: Dec 16, 2008 - Page: 8A - UPDATED: 12.18.08
• Correction: In a story published in the Tuesday editions of The Advocate about a child advocacy group’s proposal for increased state tax credits in the face of a $1.3 billion state deficit, it was incorrectly reported that Gov. Bobby Jindal has said there will no more tax breaks in the near future. Jindal has said he will not raise taxes. The Advocate regrets the error.
  

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Twitter
• Social Media

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

NEW ORLEANS — Child advocates say they are uniting behind national and statewide strategies to protect Louisiana children from expected government budgets and a deepening recession.

“The children’s community doesn’t always tend to play nicely in the sandbox,” Bill Bentley, president and CEO of Voices for America’s Children, told a recent gathering of nonprofit child advocacy groups at Audubon Zoo.

However, 36 nonprofit organizations nationwide — including Agenda for Children in Louisiana — have banded together to fight for scarce federal dollars in Washington.

“Children are not doing well in this country, quite frankly,” Bentley said. “It’s going to be a real fight.”

Dubbed “Invest in Children, Strengthen America” and led by The Children’s Leadership Coalition, the campaign champions short- and long-term “investment” strategies that have “proven” cost-effective at preparing healthy children for school and work.

Proposals include a new “investment” of $70 billion over 5 years for Head Start-type programs for children ages 5 and under.
Another proposal calls for $10 billion in new funding to improve the lives of abused children – a problem that costs society an estimated $104 billion.

Judith Watts, president of New Orleans-based Agenda for Children, said Louisiana has long been near the bottom of national child poverty rates.

“We’ve been 49th (in poverty) for at least a decade or more,” Watts said.

Yet, more hard times lay ahead.

“In Louisiana alone, we are currently facing a budget deficit of $1.3 billion,” Watts said. “Sadly, the economic crisis and the cuts made to balance the budget will have a disproportionately negative impact on Louisiana children.”

Tax relief tops Agenda’s “Poor No More” policy campaign to help Louisiana families.

However, Gov. Bobby Jindal has said there will be no more tax breaks in the near future.

Louisiana’s tax code is causing single-parent families to fall deeper into poverty, said Agenda analyst Teresa Falgoust, whose annual parish-by-parish “Kids Count” report on Louisiana children is due out in February.