Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
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State Rundown 11/30: ‘Lame Duck’ December Could Have Major Tax Implications

November 30, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

As federal lawmakers begin their lame duck deliberations, the revival of the expanded child tax credit remains a strong possibility...

ITEP Work in Action  

Montana Budget & Policy Center: Tax Credits for Workers and Families

November 23, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

Montana has an opportunity to invest high state revenues to support families and individuals and improve our tax system. State tax credits targeted to those in most need of assistance help Montanans struggling to afford necessities. By expanding the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), establishing a refundable state Child Tax Credit (CTC), and passing […]

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The Lever: Will Biden End An Illegal $50 Billion Tax Giveaway?

November 23, 2022 • By Matthew Gardner

The IRS is sanctioning state laws allowing rich Americans to bypass the SALT cap and avoid billions in taxes, but a new Biden nominee could end the scheme. Read more.

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Route 50: How Tax Credits Could Help States Reduce Child Poverty by 25%

November 23, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

Child poverty in the U.S. hit a record low last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in part due to the American Rescue Plan Act’s expansion of the federal child tax credit. While the initiative expires at the end of 2021, states could continue the trend with their own child tax credit policies, a new […]

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Jacobin: In Massachusetts, Unions Beat Billionaires to Pass a Tax on the Rich

November 23, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

Voters in Massachusetts just ratified the Fair Share Amendment, which taxes income above $1 million to fund public services. A broad coalition of labor and community groups took on billionaire money and won. Read more.

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CNBC: As a Key Deadline Looms to Claim 2021 Tax Credits, Republicans Complain of ‘Suspicious Timing’ of IRS Letters

November 23, 2022 • By Joe Hughes

Certain tax credits were made temporarily more generous in 2021. For certain people, there still may be time to claim the money, which may add up to thousands of dollars — but some politicians aren’t happy the IRS just reminded Americans about the cash. Read more.

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Child Tax Credit Expansion Would Shrink the Racial Wealth Gap

November 21, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

Extending the expanded Child Tax Credit would benefit nearly every child in low- and middle-income families. Under current rules, 24% of white children, 45% of Black children, and 42% of Hispanic children will not receive the full credit in 2023 because their families make too little. These figures would drop to zero if the provisions were extended, helping families of all races and disproportionately helping families of color.

ITEP Work in Action  

The Economic Progress Institute: Rhode Island Standard of Need

November 18, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

With scenic beaches, culinary and arts communities, higher education institutions, and a vibrant celebration of culture, Rhode Island can be a wonderful place to live and to raise a family. Yet many Rhode Islanders work at jobs with wages that pay too little to meet even the most basic living costs. They experience multiple barriers […]

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States Can Halve Child Poverty with Child Tax Credits

November 16, 2022 • By Aidan Davis

State policymakers have the tools they need to drastically reduce child poverty within their borders. A new ITEP report, coauthored with Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy, explores state Child Tax Credit (CTC) options that would reduce child poverty by up to 50 percent. Temporary expansion of the federal CTC in 2021 reduced […]

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State Child Tax Credits Have Enormous Potential to Cut Child Poverty

November 16, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

CONTACT: Jon Whiten New state-by-state data charts a course for how states can make headway for the next generation As the dust settles on this year’s elections and state lawmakers look toward 2023’s legislative sessions, they should consider creating or improving their state Child Tax Credits. A new report released today by the Institute on […]

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State Child Tax Credits and Child Poverty: A 50-State Analysis

November 16, 2022 • By Aidan Davis

Regardless of future Child Tax Credit developments at the federal level, state policies can supplement the federal credit to deliver additional benefits to children and families. State credits can be specifically tailored to meet the needs of local populations while also producing long-term benefits for society as a whole

ITEP Work in Action  

Policy Matters Ohio: Increase Family Security and Expand Opportunity in Ohio

November 14, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

The expanded federal child tax credit (CTC) improved the lives of millions of children and families. We outline how a simple solution — direct payments to families with children — helped families pay for basic household expenses, relieved parents of stress, and made families more stable and secure. But now, because Congress failed to act, […]

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Policy for the People Podcast: Our Labor, Their Fortunes: Billionaires Capture Oregon’s Wealth

November 11, 2022 • By Carl Davis

Wealth inequality is at mind-boggling levels in Oregon and elsewhere. Listen to Research Director Carl Davis talk about the trends here.

ITEP Work in Action  

Fiscal Policy Institute: Inequality in New York & Options for Progressive Tax Reform

November 11, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

Income statistics have long shown that the top earners in New York State earn relatively more than their counterparts elsewhere in the U.S. Income inequality alone, however, provides an incomplete picture of the wealthiest households’ economic resources. In order to understand real economic power, we have to look at households’ wealth (their total net assets). […]

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State Rundown 11/10: Midterm Madness

November 10, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

As states continue to tally the remaining votes and the news stories roll out at a breakneck pace, the unofficial results of the 2022 midterm elections have brought with it significant changes across the state tax policy landscape...

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Election Day in the States: Voters Deliver Important Victories for Tax Justice

November 10, 2022 • By Jon Whiten

Voters in Massachusetts and Colorado raised taxes on their wealthiest residents to fund schools, public transportation and school lunches for kids while making their tax codes more equitable. And voters in West Virginia defeated a proposal to deeply cut taxes, mostly for businesses, and drain the coffers of county and local governments.

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Twenty-Three Corporations Saved $50 Billion So Far Under Trump Tax Law’s “Bonus Depreciation” that Many Lawmakers Want to Extend

November 10, 2022 • By Matthew Gardner, Steve Wamhoff

Nearly two dozen of America’s largest corporations together received roughly $50 billion in tax breaks from 2018 through 2021 under a Trump tax law provision that many lawmakers now want to extend. Corporate lobbyists are even asking Congress to extend this “accelerated depreciation” tax break as part of a possible year-end tax bill.

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Massachusetts Voters Score Win for Tax Fairness with ‘Fair Share Amendment’

November 9, 2022 • By Marco Guzman

In a significant victory for tax fairness, Massachusetts voters approved Question 1—commonly known as the Fair Share Amendment—Tuesday night with 52 percent of the vote. The new constitutional amendment creates a 4 percent surcharge on income over $1 million, and the revenue will specifically fund education and transportation projects in the Bay State.

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Key Republicans Say Negligible Decline in Economic Growth Outweighs Enormous Drop in Child Poverty

November 3, 2022 • By Joe Hughes

The expanded Child Tax Credit reduced child poverty dramatically and immediately. There is no debate or murkiness on this. Some lawmakers have decided that cutting child poverty in half is not worth the cost if it means an ambiguous and negligible decline in GDP growth. This view is not just cruel, it is bad economics.

ITEP Work in Action  

Oregon Center for Public Policy: Wealth Inequality in Oregon Is Extreme

November 3, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

How extreme is wealth inequality in Oregon? So extreme that, together, three billionaires residing in the state have about twice the wealth as that of the entire bottom half of Oregonians. Read more.

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State Rundown 11/2: Midterms on the Mind

November 2, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

Next Tuesday, voters will head to the polls to not only elect local and national leaders, but also let their voices be heard on a range of tax policy issues that could improve or worsen their state tax codes...

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Washington Post: Tax-cut Guru Still Says He’s Right About Trump, Truss and Trickle-down

November 2, 2022 • By Amy Hanauer

The mess in England doesn’t mean he’s wrong. Arthur Laffer, the chief cheerleader for supply-side economics since the days of Ronald Reagan, wants to make that clear. Read more.

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Route Fifty: In One State, a Fight Over How Tax Hikes are Passed at the Ballot Box

November 1, 2022 • By Jon Whiten

In Arizona, Republican legislators are asking residents to make it tougher for voters to pass ballot measures that would raise taxes. Supporters say the proposal, which will be decided in next week’s election, is intended to rein in ballot initiatives that threaten the state’s economy and that are often backed by groups from outside of […]

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Palm Beach Post: As Gas Tax Holiday Ends, Did Florida Drivers Save?

November 1, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

Florida reinstituted its per-gallon tax on gasoline sales today after a monthlong reprieve in October implemented by Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers. The savings from the 25.3-cent break on each gallon of gasoline last month appears to have been less obviously impactful to drivers, thanks to another sharp rise in oil prices at the start of October. […]