All Resources
Handbook
The Alabama Tax and Budget Handbook – Property Taxes
How do Alabama’s property taxes work? The 1901 Alabama constitution established a property tax of 6.5 mills to help fund the state government. That was 30 years before our state had income or sales taxes. More than a century later, the state property tax rate has not changed. Property tax is applied to real estate, [...]
Handbook
The Alabama Tax and Budget Handbook – Business Taxes
What taxes do businesses pay in Alabama? How does Alabama tax businesses? Business taxes provide the important “fourth leg of the stool” of our tax system. Alabama’s business taxes were restructured in 1999 after courts ruled the old system unconstitutional because it taxed out-of-state companies at a higher rate. Today’s structure relies on two taxes: [...]
Handbook
The Alabama Tax and Budget Handbook – Tax Policy Solutions for the Long Haul
How could we make our tax code more fair? Alabama can move forward by changing its outdated, imbalanced approach to raising revenue. Our state’s current approach is not helping workers get ahead, and it is not adequately funding education, health care and other vital services that help make widely shared prosperity possible. Alabama should consider [...]
Handbook
The Alabama Tax and Budget Handbook – Glossary
This glossary includes keywords used in The Alabama Tax and Budget Handbook, as well as other terms commonly encountered in tax and budget debates. Terms that are italicized in the definitions are defined elsewhere in this glossary. act – a bill that has become law. adjusted gross income – total annual earnings after subtracting certain [...]
News Releases
250+ advocates urge Alabama lawmakers to expand no-cost school breakfast
[caption id="attachment_11630" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Dr. Shakita Brooks Jones, board president of Alabama Arise Action, speaks in support of no-cost school breakfast during Arise's annual Legislative Day on Feb. 24, 2026, in Montgomery. (Photo by Julie Bennett)[/caption] Alabama should ensure access to no-cost breakfast for every child in the state’s public schools, Alabama Arise Action members [...]
Fact Sheet
2026 Legislative Day – No-cost breakfast supports a strong start, strong finish for Alabama students
Every Alabama child deserves access to breakfast About 1 in 4 school-age children in Alabama struggle with food insecurity. Access to no-cost school meals is not the standard for many children in working families and is often determined by where they live. Many schools are struggling to break even with the current maximum federal reimbursement [...]
Blog
Arise 2026: How we’re working to build a better Alabama
Alabama Arise believes in dignity, equity and justice for all. We believe in an Alabama where everyone's voice is heard and everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. And we believe better public policies are the key to building a brighter future for our state. Below, we'll share some details of that vision [...]
Fact Sheet
Strong investments in schools, housing and transit improve life for all Alabamians
Haga clic aquí para leer esto en español. Strong funding for public services like education and public health broadens opportunity for everyone, especially for Alabamians with low incomes. Alabama Arise members for decades have urged robust and secure state funding for these services. Arise members’ top budget priorities for 2026 include: Public school funding Lawmakers [...]
Resources
Building on our momentum for the new year
As we close out 2025, Arise members and member organizations can reflect on a very successful year. Reducing the state sales tax on groceries from 3% to 2% and guaranteeing more students in public schools get a free breakfast with a $7.3 million budget appropriation were two of the biggest highlights worth celebrating. Improvements were [...]
Blog
Long federal road ahead for SNAP, health care
By Carol Gundlach, senior policy analyst, and Debbie Smith, Cover Alabama campaign director Alabama Arise believes that society should care for the most vulnerable in our nation—children, the elderly, those who are disabled and those who have fallen on temporary hard times. Since the Great Depression, Americans have been assured that, no matter how hard [...]