Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Amy Hanauer, Executive Director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, issued the following statement on “The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022,” the reconciliation bill passed today by the Senate. “Today we made remarkable progress for America’s tax and climate policy. The IRA reduces corporate loopholes, collects revenue from those who defy tax […]

They Might Really Do It: The Senate Is About to Reform Our Tax Code

For now, the Senate is poised to reverse cuts to the IRS enforcement against wealthy tax evaders for the first time in a decade, crack down on tax-dodging by huge corporations for the first time since 1986, and finally address the method increasingly used by corporations to transfer income to shareholders to avoid federal taxes. The multi-decade winning streak of corporate lobbyists and special interests who have practically written many of our tax laws in recent years is about to come to an end.

Corporations are Shifting Profits to Wealthy Investors Tax-Free—Stock Buyback Tax Would Change That

Senate Democrats have announced an agreement on the Inflation Reduction Act that, among other changes to a previous version of the bill, would apply a 1 percent tax on corporations repurchasing their own stock. This proposal was included in the House-passed Build Back Better Act last year and was estimated at that time to raise $124 billion over 10 years. This measure would ensure that income transferred from corporations to wealthy shareholders does not continue to escape taxation.

Corporate Minimum Tax Examples: Apple Would Likely Pay More, 3M Would Not

Apple, one of the largest corporations in the United States despite manufacturing most of its physical products offshore, would likely pay the corporate minimum tax that is included in the Inflation Reduction Act that the Senate is debating this week. 3M, a manufacturer that has about 40 percent of its workforce in the United States, likely would not pay the corporate minimum tax if current trends in the company’s profits and taxes continue, because it is already paying above 15 percent of its profits in taxes.

Jon Whiten

August 3, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

Jon Whiten

Jon leads ITEP’s work to shape the public debate around tax policy and ensure that policymakers, advocates, and other stakeholders are using ITEP’s data and analysis in order to make sound decisions.

Bloomberg Tax Op-Ed: Manchin-Schumer Deal Takes Sensible Aim at Corporate Tax Dodging

August 2, 2022

Revenue-raising provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act would bring long-overdue fairness to a tax system that for decades has been eroded by special breaks for the powerful and well-connected, says Steve Wamhoff of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more.

Opponents of Inflation Reduction Act Call for Continued Tax Avoidance by Large Manufacturers

The biggest revenue-raising provision in the Inflation Reduction Act, the 15 percent minimum tax for corporations that have more than a billion dollars in profits, is under attack from members of Congress who argue that manufacturing companies should not be required to pay any minimum amount of tax. Sen. Mike Crapo, the top Republican on […]

Top Republican Tax-Writer Falsely Claims that Minimum Tax for Huge Corporations Is a Tax Hike on Middle-Class

Opponents of requiring corporations to pay even a minimum amount of taxes hold an unpopular position. But Sen. Mike Crapo, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee and a leader of that opposition, is using a one-sided and incomplete analysis to claim that the corporate minimum tax would raise taxes on low- and middle-income people.

The Washington Post: How the Schumer-Manchin Climate Bill Might Impact You and Change the U.S.

July 28, 2022

“This would certainly be the biggest corporate tax increase in decades,” said Steve Wamhoff, a tax expert at Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. “We’ve had decades of tax policy benefiting the rich, but this is really the first attempt to raise revenue in a progressive way that would begin to combat wealth and income […]

Reuters: Biden Pledge to Tax Wealthy, Companies Revived with Manchin-Led Bill

July 28, 2022

Biden said during a speech on Thursday that the deal would “for the first time in a long time begin to restore fairness to the tax code – begin to restore fairness by making the largest corporations in America pay their fair share without any new taxes on people making under $400,000 a year.” The […]

ITEP: Reconciliation Deal Represents “Transformational Change” for U.S. Tax Policy

Amy Hanauer, Executive Director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, issued the following statement on “The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022,” the reconciliation bill announced yesterday by Senate Democrats.  “This is a transformational change for U.S. tax and energy policy. The bill restores sorely needed and long-overdue accountability to our tax code. By […]

Legislative Momentum in 2022: New and Expanded Child Tax Credits and EITCs

State legislatures across the country made investments in their future, centering children, families, and workers by enacting and expanding state Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs), Child Tax Credits (CTCs), and other refundable credits this session. In total, seven states either expanded or created CTCs this session. Connecticut, New Mexico, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont […]

Most States Used Surpluses to Reduce Taxes But Not in Sustainable or Progressive Ways

The average person on the street would have no idea that many states experienced unprecedented budget surpluses this year. Iowa, for instance, has the most structurally deficient bridges of any state with nearly 1 in 5 falling apart. The Iowa Board of Regents proposed a 4.25 percent tuition increase for all three state universities and […]

The Tax Legislation Debated in Congress Would Reduce Inflation and Help Americans Deal with Rising Costs

Opposing a fully paid-for spending bill because of inflation concerns does not make any sense. Opposing a deficit-reducing bill because of inflation is absurd.

ITEP: Tax and Climate Provisions Are What Americans Want and Need

In response to conflicting reports on negotiations with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on tax increases and climate provisions, Amy Hanauer, ITEP Executive Director, released the following statement: Sen. Joe Manchin may be uncertain about higher taxes on the rich and corporations, but the American people are not. Large majorities of Americans support the tax […]

CNBC: Millions of Calif. families to get ‘inflation relief’ stimulus checks of up to $1,050

July 5, 2022

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders agreed on a $17 billion relief package that includes $9.5 billion in inflation relief funds. Those estimated 23 million California taxpayers will receive between $200 and $1,050 by early next year. California has more flexibility to send these kinds of payments because its budget is one of the […]

No Reason to Water Down the Tax Reforms in the Build Back Better Act

There is no justification for recently reported efforts to scale back the tax reforms in the Build Back Better Act, a bill passed by the House of Representatives in November that would raise significant revenue and make our tax code more progressive by enacting widely popular proposals. (See ITEP’s report on the BBBA.) Of course, […]

Read as PDF The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) is a non-profit research organization that analyzes tax laws and tax proposals at the federal, state and local levels. ITEP’s work demonstrates the need to raise more revenue from corporations and the wealthy. Our small, influential staff works with policymakers and front-line partners to research, support, and develop tax policies that address […]

New ITEP Report Examines the Path to Equitable Tax Policy in the South

“From the inception of the emerging American nation, the South is a central battleground in the struggles for freedom, justice, and equality. It is the location of the most intense repression, exploitation, and reaction directed toward Africans Americans, as well as Native Americans and working people generally. At the same time the South is the […]

Creating Racially and Economically Equitable Tax Policy in the South

The South's negative outcomes on measures of wellbeing are the result of a century and a half of policy choices. Lawmakers have many options available to make concrete improvements to tax policy that would raise more revenue, do so equitably, and generate resources that could improve schools, healthcare, social services, infrastructure, and other public resources.

Bloomberg Tax: Flat Income Tax Revival Draws Sharply Mixed Reviews (Podcast)

June 14, 2022

With cash cushions plump with federal pandemic relief dollars and a surge in tax revenues, state legislatures across the country have cut taxes aggressively this year. But several states went further, converting their tiered income tax structures to flat-rate systems. Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, and Mississippi have committed to the flat tax in recent weeks, and […]

Rising Prices: Another Reason to Be Wary of Tax Cutting Right Now

Many state lawmakers see any economic challenge as an excuse to cut taxes and in 2022, some are citing inflation as a reason to do so. All eyes today are on the inflation rate facing consumers which, spurred on in part by rising corporate profits, is now running at its fastest pace in decades. But […]

Read as PDF The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) is a non-profit research organization that analyzes tax laws and tax proposals at the federal, state and local levels. ITEP’s work demonstrates the need to raise more revenue from corporations and wealthy individuals. Our small, influential staff works with policymakers and front-line partners to research, support, and develop tax policies that address […]

Georgia Budget and Policy Institute: New Tax Plan Risks State’s Long-Term Fiscal Health, Worsens Income and Racial Inequities

May 27, 2022

House Bill 1437, signed into law by Gov. Kemp after a final version emerged during the last hours of Sine Die 2022, sets Georgia on course to make fundamental changes to its income tax that primarily benefit the state’s highest earners at an annual cost greater than $2 billion when fully implemented. Beyond adding to […]

Arizona Center for Economic Progress: $2 Billion Tax Cuts for the Rich are Irresponsible

May 13, 2022

Last year, the legislature passed huge tax cuts whose benefits will only be seen by the richest Arizonans. Once these new tax cuts go into effect, they will reduce state revenues by an estimated $2 billion a year. The state approved a flat tax that will not result in a meaningful tax cut for most […]