Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, serves on the working group tasked with producing preliminary budget recommendations
Trump’s new tax package leaves in place a higher standard deduction that was enacted alongside the original $10,000 SALT cap as part of his 2017 tax cuts. Ralph Martire is quoted in the article.
If you're wondering who really benefits from this tax-cut largess, conjure up a picture of Trump and his millionaire/billionaire cronies. Ralph Martire’s column explains
July 4, 2025—When Congress finally enacts some version of the tax and spending cuts outlined in what’s been dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” it will be “to the great detriment of the people of this country.” Those aren’t my words, nor are they Democratic Party spin or hyperbole. They’re the sentiments of Marc Racicot, a Republican who served as governor of the very red state of Montana from 1993 through 2001. So why is Racicot so against this bill?
Talk show and podcast host Brian Mackey of Illinois NPR The 21st Show hosted Elaine Gaberik, CTBA's Director of Policy Analysis, to talk about why Illinois should be significantly increasing its funding to higher education.
Ralph Martire breaks down the chaotic reforms in Washington.
Ralph Martire points out that total Medicaid expenditures in 2023 translated to $1.78 trillion in economic activity that benefits everyone. Cutting Medicaid by $880 billion over the next 10 years would reduce economic activity over that sequence by about $176 billion annually, benefiting no one.
CTBA's Director of Budgetary Analysis Jade Dill joined WTTW's "Black Voices" to discuss the proposed Illinois budget. Jade pointed out that if federal funding is cut, Illinois wouldn’t be able to make up for it. Dill said raising taxes — specifically expanding the state’s service tax and increasing the state income tax — would help the state address the growing deficit.
For two years, Mayor Brandon Johnson has refused to consider layoffs or unpaid furlough days. But the fiscal landscape has changed since the city forecast a $1.12 billion shortfall for 2025. Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, said the structural deficit that Chicago is facing has been handed down from administration to administration for decades.
Johnson signed an executive order directing his Office of Budget and Management to host public meetings and make a “comprehensive” review of all city spending. The order also launched a new working group of business and labor leaders, community groups, aldermen and mayoral staffers tasked with making far-reaching budget recommendations.