ITEP's Research Priorities
Montana Budget & Policy Center: Introduction to Who Pays Montana’s Taxes
November 30, 2016
Chart 1 outlines the three main state and local taxes – income, property, and sales/excise—and how the cost of these taxes is distributed among taxpayers. Both property and sales/excise taxes are regressive. Conversely, income taxes are progressive.
Montana Budget & Policy Center: Montana’s Individiual Income Tax
November 30, 2016
Prior to the tax cuts implemented in 2003, Montana had ten different income brackets, with each higher income bracket paying a slightly larger share of their income in taxes (Appendix A). In this old structure, the lowest income bracket paid 2% of their income in taxes, while the highest bracket (applying to incomes over $102,000, […]
The Hoya: DC Council Approves Eliminating Tampon Tax
November 30, 2016
“The bill has nevertheless encountered opposition from various organizations within the District. Richard Phillips, senior policy analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a non-profit, nonpartisan think tank that focuses on state and tax policy issues, expressed concerns that the exemption would not be an efficient way to address some of the inherent […]
The Atlantic: Why It’s So Hard to Know What to Make of the Carrier Deal
November 30, 2016
“Additionally, some economists say that it’s bad policy for states to offer up tax breaks for companies who agree to locate plants or other operations in certain communities, a practice that is widespread, with states and municipalities already providing $50 billion in location-incentive tax breaks every year—that’s money that could be used for schools or […]
Privatization, Waste, and Unfunded Projects: The Problems with Trump’s Infrastructure Proposal
November 30, 2016 • By ITEP Staff
In his acceptance speech, President-elect Donald Trump placed a heavy emphasis on the need to rebuild the nation's infrastructure. In theory, expanded investments in our nation's infrastructure could generate wide support among the public and within Congress. And yet Congressional negotiations on this issue have repeatedly broken down because of disagreements over how to fund those investments. Unfortunately, a flawed proposal for new funding put forth by Mr. Trump fails to offer a realistic path forward.
State Tax Preferences for Elderly Taxpayers
November 28, 2016 • By Aidan Davis, Meg Wiehe
State governments provide a wide array of tax breaks for their elderly residents. Almost every state that levies an income tax allows some form of income tax exemption or credit for citizens over age 65 that is unavailable to non-elderly taxpayers. Most states also provide special property tax breaks to the elderly. Unfortunately, too many of these breaks are poorly-targeted, unsustainable, and unfair. This policy brief surveys federal and state approaches to reducing taxes for older adults and suggests options for designing less costly and better targeted tax breaks.
Austin American-Statesman: Wood: The flaws in Trump’s mass deportation plan
November 28, 2016
“Opponents of undocumented immigrants often assume that these workers don’t contribute to the economy and leech off public services; this simply isn’t true. Many of these people work and contribute to the economy. Research from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy indicates that out of the $11.64 billion in taxes paid by undocumented workers […]
Bloomberg BNA: Some Private School “Donors” Use Tax Code to Turn Profit
November 28, 2016
“Carl Davis is the research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. ITEP is a non-profit and non-partisan research group that works on federal, state, and local tax issues. On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump said that he would encourage states to provide more public funding for private schools through the creation […]
Mass Transit Magazine: US: Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Dwarfed by Estimates of Need
November 28, 2016
“‘There are still 20 states that have waited a decade or more since last raising their gas tax rates,’ said Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a progressive think tank. ‘At least a dozen states are going to be discussing gas tax increases next year.'” Read more
The Independent: Donald Trump’s tax plans a ‘massive giveaway’ to richest 1%
November 28, 2016
“Mr Trump also plans to scrap inheritance tax, which is currently only charged on estates worth more than $5.45m (£4.3m) and joint estates of $10.9m (£8.7m), affecting just one in 500 Americans. ‘It’s hard to think of a tax change that will have a more detrimental effect on inequality,’ Matt Gardner, a senior fellow at […]
Comprehensive Guide to “Repatriation” Proposals
November 28, 2016 • By Richard Phillips
Corporations falsely claim that they have to engage in offshore tax avoidance maneuvers because the U.S. corporate tax rate is too high, an argument which has unfortunately found an audience in lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. In 2017, Congress likely will evaluate a number of approaches to taxing the trillions of dollars corporations currently hold offshore. This report explains and evaluates these proposals, including a so-called repatriation holiday and deemed repatriation. Further, it explains why ending deferral of taxes on U.S. multinational corporations' foreign earnings could halt the widespread corporate practice of funneling money to subsidiaries for the…
Fact Sheet: What You Need to Know About Repatriation Proposals
November 28, 2016 • By Richard Phillips
Fortune 500 corporations collectively have stashed $2.5 trillion in profits offshore, on which they have avoided up to $718 billion in taxes. It's no wonder that policymakers on both sides of the aisle are weighing legislative options to either tax these profits or create an incentive for corporations to "repatriate" or bring these profits to the United States so that they are subject to taxation. Lawmakers have introduced several "repatriation" proposals that would glean tax revenue from these offshore profits. But the only solution that will ensure corporations pay taxes on their offshore profits AND shut down the practice of…
Vice Sports: Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Could Be a Giant Sports Welfare Giveaway
November 23, 2016
“P3s are having a bit of a heyday right now, as local governments experiment with having private investors build everything from toll roads to water projects. The method has limitations. For one, notes Carl Davis, research director at the D.C.-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, it can only be used on projects that generate […]
The Guardian: Trump’s tax plan: massive cuts for the 1% will usher ‘era of dynastic wealth’
November 23, 2016
“‘Listening to Trump’s rhetoric, most Americans probably don’t realise at all the impact of Trump’s tax plan,’ Matt Gardner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) said. ‘Any way you slice it, the very best-off Americans will be the biggest beneficiaries.’ ‘If it looks bad now for middle-income families, those […]
Worcester Telegram & Gazette: Clive McFarlane: Worcester trying to balance tax options
November 23, 2016
“Both the bureau’s and Mayor Petty’s proposal nevertheless would shift a greater share of the tax burden to those least able to afford it. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, for example, has noted that ‘on average, poor homeowners and renters pay more of their income in property taxes than do any other income […]
Albany Times-Union: There’s another way people in expensive cities are ‘penalized,’ and they might not know it
November 21, 2016
“Part of the reason why Albouy’s ideas have not caught on is that it would be complicated. ‘It would add incredible complexity to the tax code,’ said Matthew Gardner, senior fellow with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. There are many good reasons, he said, why things cost more in New York than they […]
Lincoln Journal Star: UNL students rally in support of a better future
November 21, 2016
“Rodriguez said immigrants have contributed greatly to both the country and state, citing statistics from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy which state the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. have paid more than $11.6 billion in state and local taxes.” Read more
Collecting Sales Taxes Owed on Internet Purchases
November 18, 2016 • By Carl Davis
Retail trade has been transformed by the Internet. As the popularity of "e-commerce" (that is, transactions conducted over the Internet) has grown, policymakers have engaged in a heated debate over how state and local sales taxes should be applied to these transactions. This debate is of critical importance for states as sales taxes comprise close to one-third of all state tax revenues and hundreds of billions of dollars in retail spending is now occurring online.
Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Latinos discuss impact of Trump’s election
November 16, 2016
“Also, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, undocumented immigrants pay around $11.64 billion in taxes each year.” Read more
Chicago Herald: New Chicago bag tax will boost revenue, but will it cut waste?
November 16, 2016
“Meg Wiehe, state tax policy director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a research group based in Washington, D.C., said these one-off taxes on goods exacerbate income inequality. The tax code can’t correct the problem, she said, but it shouldn’t make the problem worse. What’s more, if the tax works as intended, revenue […]
McClatchy DC: Undocumented students asked council to make Washington’s Bellingham a sanctuary city
November 16, 2016
“Prado said undocumented immigrants contribute about $292 million in taxes to Washington state each year, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The amount would be higher with full legal status.” Read more
Fact Sheet: Comparison of House GOP Tax Plan, Trump’s Initial Tax Proposal and Trump’s Revised Tax Proposal
November 15, 2016 • By ITEP Staff
Chart comparing House GOP Tax Plan, Trump's Initial Tax Proposal and Trump's Revised Tax Proposal.
Mic: Here’s exactly how Donald Trump could hurt the middle class — and how to fight back
November 14, 2016
“‘There was never any real backing for his argument that he was proposing populist tax reform,’ said Matthew Gardner, a senior fellow at nonpartisan nonprofit Institute of Policy and Taxation. ‘If you look at the two pretty similar tax plans he released as a candidate, they had two things in common: one is that they […]
Denver Post: CDOT to test taxing drivers by the mile instead of at the pump
November 14, 2016
“Carl Davis, research director at the Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said it’s true that state governments will have to find alternate ways of generating revenues for road projects as more cars go hybrid and electric. And he lauds Colorado, Oregon and California for testing the per-mile tax concept for the day […]
Albuquerque Journal: Immigrants largely a boon to U.S. economy
November 14, 2016
“And though there are competing analyses about whether unlawfully present immigrants contribute more to the economy than they cost in education and health expenses, what cannot be denied is that, according to the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, illegal immigrants contribute more than $11.6 billion to state and local coffers each year and […]
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