ITEP's Research Priorities
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: GOP lawmakers may hike school funding, expand vouchers
May 30, 2013
By Patrick Marley and Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel May 30, 2013 3:31 p.m. Madison — Republicans who control the Legislature are working on a deal that would increase funding for public schools and extend a school voucher program statewide, but in a way that is far more limited than what GOP Gov. […]
Hays Daily News: Costly session
May 30, 2013
(Original Post) 5/29/2013 With conservative super-majorities in place on both sides of the Kansas Statehouse, Gov. Sam Brownback had to have been expecting a relatively cooperative and short session this year. Rubberstamp a few more tax cuts for those who didn’t need them, a few more reductions in services for those who do need […]
Workday Minnesota: Education funding, tax reform highlight gains made in 2013 session, unions say
May 24, 2013
(Original Post) By Michael Moore, Union Advocate editor23 May 2013ST. PAUL – Minnesota’s working families will see the most obvious fruits of the 2013 legislative session in their public schools and property-tax bills, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of investments, reforms and initiatives passed by labor-endorsed majorities in the Legislature this year, […]
Lawrence World Journal: GOP tax plans would increase taxes on low-wage Kansans, decrease taxes for high-income Kansans, report says
May 23, 2013
(Original Post) Posted by Scott Rothschild May 23, 2013 at 11:30 a.m. Topeka — Taxes will increase for low-wage Kansans and decrease for those with higher incomes under plans being considered by Republican state legislators, according to a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy looked at the various proposals before […]
Reno News & Review: It happens
May 23, 2013
(Original Post) By Dennis [email protected] This article was published on 05.23.13. Nevada has a crappy tax system. Here’s why. It was sweltering. Januaries in Carson City are cold, of course, but the Nevada Assembly hall was jammed with bodies and television lights. Even on a weekday evening people traveled to the capitol for these occasions. […]
The Huffington Post: One Tax Loophole Apple’s Tim Cook And Lawmakers Didn’t Talk About
May 21, 2013
(Original Post) The Huffington Post | By Jillian Berman Posted: 05/21/2013 3:30 pm EDT When Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared before a panel of Senators Tuesday, much of the questioning centered around why so much of the company’s money sits untaxed overseas. Cook defended the practice, saying his company doesn’t “depend on gimmicks” to lower […]
Don’t Blame the Gas Tax for High Gas Prices
May 20, 2013 • By Carl Davis
American consumers are keenly aware of the price of gasoline, but uninformed about what drives that price. When asked about the federal gas tax, for example, six in ten Americans said the tax rate goes up every year. In reality, the federal gas tax hasn't budged from its 18.4 cent rate in almost twenty years, and roughly half the states haven't seen their gas tax rates change in a decade or more.
The Commonwealth Institute: What Would a Cut to the Top Individual Income Tax Rate Mean for Virginians?
May 17, 2013
A proposal to eliminate Virginia’s top individual income tax rate would overwhelmingly benefit the state’s wealthiest residents, who already spend far less of their household budgets on state and local taxes than any other group. Nearly 40 percent of Virginia taxpayers would see no reduction in their taxes under the plan and most of the […]
The Progressive Pulse: ‘Modest’ or ‘Bold,’ Nebraska Tax Cuts Could Not Be Sold
May 17, 2013
(Original Post) This is an additional contribution to the blog series that presents voices from other states that have unsuccessfully pursued comprehensive tax reform. (See Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3) Commentary provided by Renee Fry, Executive Director of the OpenSky Policy Institute in Lincoln, NE. Nebraska’s 2013 legislative session kicked off with Gov. […]
The Progressive Pulse: Blowhard lobbyist for corporations and the rich in town to promote tax increases on average North Carolinians
May 17, 2013
(Original Post) Post on May 16, 2013 by Rob Schofield How low have things sunk in the Raleigh policy debate? This low: A front group for corporations and greedy billionaires is bringing a has-been Washington lobbyist to town to promote higher taxes on poor and middle class North Carolinians and some are calling it a […]
Campus Progress: Here’s One Way to End Poverty
May 17, 2013
(Original Post) Posted Thursday, May 16, 2013 in Opinions by Chris Lewis There’s been a lot of hand-wringing lately about bloating, excess, and abuse of government assistance programs like disability insurance and food stamps. For taxpayers anxious about whether public assistance dollars are well spent, there’s a lot to keep track of: SSI, SSDI, Social […]
International Digital Times: Tommy Chong Cancer Goes Up In Smoke; Veteran Funnyman Says Weed Saved His Life And Could Save America, Too
May 17, 2013
(Original Post) Now that Tommy Chong’s cancer has been cured, the Grammy Award-winning comedian is setting his sights on another challenge: saving America. In a recent interview with CBS News, Chong talked about how legalizing marijuana could solve the country’s fiscal problems. “Look at the situation we’re in now. Sequesters. Cuts. Everything cut across the […]
New America Media: Data Reveals Immigrants’ Financial Contribution to States
May 17, 2013
(Original Post) Asian Journal, News Report, Posted: May 16, 2013 LOS ANGELES – In California, Asian and Hispanic immigrants pay nearly $30 billion in federal taxes, $5.2 billion in state income taxes, and $4.6 billion in sales taxes each year. In New York, immigrants are responsible for $229 billion in economic output in the state. […]
San Antonio Express: Internet racket: Nat’l providers reap obscene profits
May 17, 2013
(Original Post) By Timothy Karr, Guest CommentaryPublished 1:22 pm, Wednesday, May 15, 2013 Is your Internet bill too high? You can thank the phone and cable companies for that. Today, high-speed broadband services offered by these national carriers cost more than $500 a year and even more when customers are forced to bundle Internet access […]
Boston Globe: Big seller Boston Beer asks for small-brewer tax break
May 17, 2013
(Original Post) By Noah Bierman| Globe Staff May 13, 2013 WASHINGTON — It’s early to be drinking, but just after 10:30 a.m. on a weekday, Jim Koch, the founder of Samuel Adams beer, pops open a bottle of lager and regales his audience with stories. It’s no barroom banter. Koch is standing behind a […]
Fiscal Policy Institute: New York State Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2013-2014
May 16, 2013
In addition to this Budget Overview section, this briefing also includes a section on the Economic Context for deliberations regarding the state’s 2013-2014 budget and a section on Tax Policy, a major focus of the Fiscal Policy Institute’s work. Read the Full Report (PDF)
Montana Budget & Policy Center: Capital Gains Tax Credit – Valuing Wealth Over Work in Montana
May 16, 2013
In 2003, the Montana Legislature passed a capital gains tax credit that benefits a very narrow portion of our population at the great expense of our collective ability to adequately invest in public programs, from education to health care. Currently, Montana is one of just nine states offering a significant tax break for capital gains […]
Connecticut Voices for Children: Who Pays Taxes in Connecticut?
May 16, 2013
This brief finds that Connecticut’s wealthiest residents pay a smaller share of their income in state and local taxes than middle-income and low-income residents. Read the Full Report
Connecticut Voices for Children: Lower Than New York’s for Everyone but the Poor
May 16, 2013
One sometimes hears that recent state income tax increases on the rich could cause them to leave Connecticut for New York and points south. Academic research has shown that taxes are simply not a significant factor in families’ moving decisions. Nonetheless, some believe they are, and so it is important for policymakers to understand how […]
Economic Progress Institute: It is time to turn up volume on silent spending
May 16, 2013
To ensure Rhode Island uses its available resources in the most effective way possible, it’s time to subject tax breaks, that cost the State over $1.7 billion a year, to the same scrutiny given to money spent through the state budget. Read the Full Report
Economic Progress Institute: Enhancing the Economic Security of Low-Income Working Rhode Islanders by Increasing the State’s Earned Income Tax Credit Refund
May 16, 2013
The Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) is widely recognized as an effective, short-term tool for lifting low-income working families out of poverty by encouraging work and supplementing low wages. Rhode Island should enhance the effectiveness of its state EITC by increasing the refund available to low-wage workers. This would put money in the pockets of […]
Wisconsin Budget Project: “Middle Class Tax Cut” Will Mostly Wind up in the Pockets of the Highest Earners
May 16, 2013
Governor Walker has proposed an income tax cut that would benefit the highest earners the most, and would result in insignificant tax cuts for low-income Wisconsinites. Read the Full Report
Pryor Creek Times: Income tax reduction done deal
May 16, 2013
(Original Post) The plan to reduce Oklahoma’s income tax from 5.25 percent to 5.00 beginning in 2015 is a done deal. We know it means losing $200 million from state revenues that could have gone to hire more teachers and properly fund public safety so that we have enough troopers on the road and ensure […]
The Morning Sentinel: Bipartisan plan to overhaul state income taxes unveiled today
May 10, 2013
(Original Post) By Steve Mistler [email protected] House Bureau AUGUSTA — A Maine family of four earning $50,000 a year would save about $647 on its state income taxes under a sweeping tax reform proposal to be aired in a public hearing today before the Legislature’s Taxation Committee. However, that same family also would pay hundreds […]
Alabama 13: Taxing the Dinner Table
May 10, 2013
Posted: May 09, 2013 6:25 PM EDT Updated: May 09, 2013 11:10 PM EDT By Jon Paepcke BIRMINGHAM, AL – With every bar code swipe, the numbers add up in Alabama. Did you know that for every dollar you spend on groceries four cents goes to the state? It’s true. Did you also know we […]
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