During the 2024 Fiscal Session, lawmakers did not take on the issue of tax cuts.
In an interview with Arkansas Week, Senate President Pro Tem Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, said even though tax cuts were not addressed during the special session, it is still an issue that lawmakers want to address.
“I think that the fiscal year ends, I think that at that point we will start talking about a time to meet in September to continue to cut income taxes for the people of Arkansas. We continue to drop the rate and our revenue continues to increase. That’s a great sign,” he said.
When asked if he had concerns about lowering income taxes too much, Hester said there is not much worry because the state has $2 billion in savings to address issues that would arise from cutting taxes too much.
The legislature might also have to call a special session to address the budget for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. The fiscal session ended with lawmakers unable to approve a budget for the Game & Fish Commission. Lawmakers in the House and Senate are split on how much to raise the director’s salary of the Game & Fish Commission. Hester said he believes that the salary of the position should be closer to $200,000, while other members believe it should be closer to $150,000.
