ITEP's Research Priorities
Governing: Is Earmarking the Best Way to Fund Projects?
September 30, 2013
(Original Post) It’s not black and white, but understanding the pros and cons increases your chances of coming to the right answer for a particular project. BY: KATHERINE BARRETT & RICHARD GREENE | OCTOBER 2013 There are many issues in government management where things aren’t black and white, where gray is the color of the […]
The Atlantic: We Could Fix America’s Highways If Every Driver Kicked In an Extra $4.66 Per Month
September 26, 2013
(Original Post) ERIC JAFFESEP 25, 2013 Don’t let the instinctive uproar over high gas costs fool you: Americans should be paying more to drive. But “more” is a vague and relative word. Exactly how much more would it take to cover the costs of road maintenance and construction in the United States? The Institute on […]
Oregon Center for Public Policy: A Grandly Flawed Bargain
September 26, 2013
The revenue package that Governor Kitzhaber has presented to the Oregon legislature to consider in a special session starting September 30 suffers from three major flaws: revenue shrinks after the current budget period, it’s mainly a tax cut for some of Oregon’s wealthiest 1 percent, and it won’t create any jobs, despite what its proponents […]
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center: After the Tech Tax Repeal- Remembering the Big Picture
September 24, 2013
The FY 2014 budget included new investments in our transportation system, in education, and in other areas. Part of the funding for these came from a “tech tax,” which is likely to be repealed without being replaced by an ongoing revenue source. This report explores some of the ways we might in the future fund […]
PR Newswire: Congress, Not Fuel-Efficient Cars, to Blame for Transportation Funding Shortfall
September 24, 2013
(Original Post) Sept. 24, 2013, 8:15 a.m. EDT WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — New ITEP Report Shows Obsolete Gas Tax Has Cost $215 Billion, Undermined Infrastructure and Added to Deficit On October 1, the federal gas tax will mark exactly twenty years stuck at the rate of 18.4 cents per gallon. Against […]
The Fiscal Times: You Won’t Believe Which State Taxes Its Poor the Most
September 24, 2013
(Original Post) BETH BRAVERMAN The Fiscal Times September 23, 2013 Washington State may have one of the lowest overall tax burdens in the country, but its poorest citizens pay more than residents of any other state. The poorest 20 percent of Washington residents pay 16.9 percent of their income in taxes, while the top 1 […]
Gas tax revenues are on an unsustainable course. Over the last five years, Congress has transferred more than $53 billion from the general fund to the transportation fund in order to compensate for lagging gas tax revenues. By 2015, the transportation fund will be insolvent unless an additional $15 billion transfer is made. Larger transfers will be needed in subsequent years.
Center for American Progess: The Real Cost of Cuccinelli
September 23, 2013
Besides working on these major research projects, I developed CTJ/ITEP’s strong online media presence. One of the most important roles I play is as the primary web manager for both CTJ and ITEP. Similarly, over the past two years I successfully initiated and then maintained CTJ and ITEP’s social media presence. Center for American Progress […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: A golden opportunity for tax changes
September 23, 2013
After analyzing options for tax changes put forth by the Tax Modernization Committee, we believe some present a real opportunity to strengthen Nebraska and its economy. Ideas that the committee will discuss at upcoming public hearings that start Monday in Scottsbluff would bolster investments in education, health care and public safety as well as […]
Washington Post: The state that taxes the poor the most is… a blue one
September 23, 2013
(Original Post) By Niraj Chokshi, Published: September 21 at 10:00 am The state that easily handed President Obama a victory last November while passing voter-approved referendums legalizing same-sex marriage and marijuana consumption also happens to have the nation’s highest tax burden on the poor. Poor families in Washington state pay 16.9 percent of their total […]
Media Matters: Conservative Media’s Misplaced Hysteria Over Immigrants And Welfare
September 23, 2013
(Original Post) Blog ››› September 18, 2013 6:04 PM EDT ››› SOLANGE UWIMANA Right-wing media have seized on a report noting that American children in Los Angeles County with undocumented parents are receiving millions in benefits to revive the spurious smear that undocumented immigrants come to this country only to receive welfare. However, these outlets […]
Annual state and local finance data from the Census Bureau are often used to rank states as "low" or "high" tax states based on taxes collected as a share of state personal income. But focusing on a state's overall tax revenues overlooks the fact that taxpayers experience tax systems very differently. In particular, the poorest 20 percent of taxpayers pay a greater share of their income in state and local taxes than any other income group in all but 10 states (including DC). And, in every state, low- income taxpayers pay more as a share of income than the wealthiest…
New Census Bureau data released this month show that the share of Americans living in poverty remains high, despite other signs of economic recovery. The national 2012 poverty rate of 15 percent is essentially unchanged since 2010 , but still 2.5 percentage points higher than pre-recession levels. This means that in 2012, 46.5 million, or about 1 in 6 Americans, lived in poverty.1 The poverty rate in most states also held steady with five states experiencing an increase in either the number or share of residents living in poverty while only two states saw a decline.2
Washington is a “Low Tax State” Overall, But Not for Families Living in Poverty
September 19, 2013 • By Meg Wiehe
Read the Report in PDF Form See all “Low Tax for Who?” states New data from the Census Bureau appear to lend support to Washington’s reputation as a “low tax state,” ranking it 36th nationally in taxes collected as a share of personal income.1 But focusing on the state’s overall tax revenues has led many […]
Texas is a “Low Tax State” Overall, But Not for Families Living in Poverty
September 19, 2013 • By Meg Wiehe
Read the Report in PDF Form See all “Low Tax for Who?” states New data from the Census Bureau appear to lend support to Texas’ reputation as a “low tax state,” ranking it 40th nationally in taxes collected as a share of personal income. 1 But focusing on the state’s overall tax revenues has led […]
Tennessee is a “Low Tax State” Overall, But Not for Families Living in Poverty
September 19, 2013 • By Meg Wiehe
Read the Report in PDF Form See all “Low Tax for Who?” states New data from the Census Bureau appear to lend support to Tennessee’s reputation as a “low tax state,” ranking it 49th nationally in taxes collected as a share of personal income.1 But focusing on the state’s overall tax revenues has led many […]
South Dakota is a “Low Tax State” Overall, But Not for Families Living in Poverty
September 19, 2013 • By Meg Wiehe
Read the Report in PDF Form See all “Low Tax for Who?” states New data from the Census Bureau lend support to South Dakota’s reputation as a “low tax state,” ranking it 50th nationally in taxes collected as a share of personal income, the lowest overall tax state.1 But focusing on the state’s overall tax […]
Florida is a “Low Tax State” Overall, But Not for Families Living in Poverty
September 19, 2013 • By Meg Wiehe
New data from the Census Bureau appear to lend support to Florida's reputation as a "low tax state," ranking it 45th nationally in taxes collected as a share of personal income.1 But focusing on the state's overall tax revenues has led many observers to overlook the fact that different taxpayers experience Florida's tax system very differently. In particular, the poorest 20 percent of Florida residents pay significantly more of their income (13.2 percent) in state and local taxes than any other group in the state. For low-income families, Florida is far from being a low tax state.2 In fact, only…
Arizona is a “Low Tax State” Overall, But Not for Families Living in Poverty
September 19, 2013 • By Meg Wiehe
New data from the Census Bureau appear to lend support to Arizona's reputation as a "low tax state," ranking it 35th nationally in taxes collected as a share of personal income.1 But focusing on the state's overall tax revenues has led many observers to overlook the fact that different taxpayers experience Arizona's tax system very differently. In particular, the poorest 20 percent of Arizona residents pay significantly more of their income (12.9 percent) in state and local taxes than any other group in the state.2 For low-income families, Arizona is far from being a low tax state. In fact, only…
The Shorthorn: I want to disrupt what you think
September 18, 2013
(Original Post) Posted: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 12:45 am | Updated: 1:50 am, Wed Sep 18, 2013. Lindsey Juarez The Shorthorn staff teenage boy rode his bicycle to the DMV 16 years ago to get what many teenage boys dream of having: a driver’s license. The boy with jet black hair and olive eyes stood […]
News & Observer: America’s growing income divide
September 16, 2013
By Ned Barnett The downtown lot where Raleigh’s Occupy movement once camped is now empty. The fast-food workers who picketted over being paid the meager minimum wage of $7.25 an hour have gone back to making burgers and fries. The Moral Monday protesters have vanished from outside the state Legislative Building, their weekly gatherings […]
North Carolina Justice Center: Final Tax Plan Falls Far Short of True Tax Reform
September 11, 2013
The tax plan recently signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory fails to make the fundamental changes North Carolina needs to create a modern, adequate and fair revenue system that can boost the state’s economy and strengthen schools, health care and other services families need to prosper and the economy needs to grow. The plan […]
Policy Matters Ohio: Cutting taxes isn’t helping Ohio
September 11, 2013
For years, North Dakota has had the lowest unemployment rate of any state in the nation. Nevada, by contrast, has had the highest. North Dakota has a personal income tax, while Nevada has no personal income tax. There are, of course, other states that show a different pattern. We cite this to illustrate that taxes, […]
Twin Cities Daily Planet: New reports underscore growing wage and income disparities
September 11, 2013
(Original Post) By Jeff Van Wychen, Minnesota 2020 September 09, 2013 Two recent reports—the first from the Minnesota Budget Project and the second from Growth & Justice—underscore different aspects of the same distressing economic trend: lower- and middle-income households’ deteriorating earning and purchasing power. “In the Shadow of the Great Recession: The State of Working […]
Columbia Journalism Review: Invasion of the Job Snatcher
September 9, 2013
(Original Post) As the Missouri media takes up arms against Rick Perry, some facts and context get lost in the fray By Deron Lee FAIRWAY, KS — Texas and Missouri no longer square off as Big 12 opponents, but governors Rick Perry and Jay Nixon—with some help from Missouri’s media—have ignited a new interstate rivalry. […]
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