Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

ITEP's Research Priorities

Chicago Sun Times: Stop Burdening Working Families; Tax Wealth and Corporate Profits Fairly

May 18, 2026

In Illinois, low-income households pay more than double the share of their income in state and local taxes compared to the wealthiest 1%, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. To balance the scales and improve public revenue for important social services, the state can cut loose from Trump’s corporate tax giveaways and […]

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Tax the Rich, Fund Our Communities: Local Options for Progressive Revenue

May 18, 2026 • By Rita Jefferson, Nick Johnson, Angelo Pis-Dudot

Tax the Rich, Fund Our Communities: Local Options for Progressive Revenue

The task for local elected officials in this moment is therefore clear: use available tools to make the wealthy pay their fair share to fund the essential public goods that allow our communities to live safe, healthy, and thriving lives.

Fortune: Trump Wants To Suspend the Federal Gas Tax. The Move Could Mean Higher Debt—and More Potholes

May 14, 2026

A federal gas tax suspension and subsequent federal spending cuts would add to the mounting national debt. The tax cut may benefit fuel industry leaders with little savings for consumers. Read more.

MarketPlace: Politicians Are Chipping Away at America’s Tax Base, Despite a Growing Debt

May 11, 2026

88 of America’s largest companies, including Tesla and United Airlines, paid no federal corporate income taxes in their last fiscal year. The Trump administration’s tax cuts favor wealthy households and corporations, while low income taxpayers foot the bill. Read more. 

NPR: The Effects of the Iran War on Americans’ Wallet

May 4, 2026

The economic strain from rising gas prices falls the hardest on low-income households. Actions from the Trump administration to counter these costs have little to no impact Read more.

Deseret News: Poll: Trump Promised Your Tax Refund Would Be Bigger. Did He Deliver?

April 30, 2026

Steve Wamhoff, at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said, “The net effect this year of all Trump’s tax policies is to increase taxes on the average American in all income groups aside from the richest 5%.” Read more.

Newsweek: Deadline Looms on Ohio Movement To Abolish Property Tax

April 30, 2026

Eliminating property taxes in the state will cut crucial funding to local services—and this is probably why Ohio lawmakers have not backed the grassroots initiative, expert Kamolika Das, local policy director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), told Newsweek last year. Read more.

AP: In One State, Voters Will Get To Decide Whether To Eliminate the Income Tax. Will More Follow?

April 30, 2026

A family earning between $49,000 and $78,000 annually would pay an average of $535 more in taxes if Missouri’s income tax is repealed and replaced with higher sales taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more.

Stateline: Millionaire Taxes Gain Steam As States Face Budget Crunches

April 30, 2026

Different forms of a tax on millionaires are spreading across the nation. These moves can help balance state tax structures that are tilted against lower earners. Read more.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: It’s Time To End Corporate Tax Avoidance in California by Closing the Water’s Edge Loophole

April 27, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: It’s Time To End Corporate Tax Avoidance in California by Closing the Water’s Edge Loophole

ITEP cited in testimony in favor of a California policy that would close a profit shifting loophole and ensure that corporations pay their fair share. Read more.

Maine Center for Economic Policy: 2026 Session Recap: Tax Policy

April 27, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

Maine Center for Economic Policy: 2026 Session Recap: Tax Policy

A recap of Maine’s 2026 legislative session covers the state’s new millionaire tax, decoupling of last summer’s regressive federal tax provisions, and the expansion of the property tax fairness credit. Read more.  

ITEP Cited in Academic Journal on State Child Tax Credits

April 23, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

ITEP Cited in Academic Journal on State Child Tax Credits

State Child Tax Credits are a promising and increasingly popular policy to reduce child poverty, strengthen family economic stability, and promote healthy development. Read more.

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The Next Illegal, Costly Tax Cut for the Rich: Indexing Capital Gains

April 21, 2026 • By Steve Wamhoff

The Next Illegal, Costly Tax Cut for the Rich: Indexing Capital Gains

Proposals to index taxes on capital gains for inflation would overwhelmingly benefit the richest 1 percent and increase the deficit by nearly $1 trillion over a decade.

Center for American Progress: Stabilizing and Strengthening State Funding for Public Higher Education After the Big Beautiful Bill

April 20, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

Center for American Progress: Stabilizing and Strengthening State Funding for Public Higher Education After the Big Beautiful Bill

Funding cuts to higher education weaken the economy. States can drive revenue by adopting progressive tax structures and budgetary mechanisms to protect the education sector. Read more.

Sen. Kelly: Bill Would Repeal Federal Private School Voucher Program

April 16, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

Sen. Kelly: Bill Would Repeal Federal Private School Voucher Program

The “Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act would repeal a private school voucher program created in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Read more.

CBS: As Iran War Drives Up Fuel Prices, States Are Hesitant To Suspend Gas Taxes. Here’s Why.

April 16, 2026

Experts express concern over gas tax suspensions as a way to counteract rising gas prices. “If the goal is to get tax cuts into the hands of working-class, middle-class drivers, it’s mostly going to miss the mark,” said Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more. 

Politico: Oil Company Founded by Energy Secretary Paid No US Taxes Last Year

April 16, 2026

Liberty Energy paid no federal corporate income taxes last year. The company founded and formerly run by Energy Secretary Chris Wright was among several energy companies included in a report issued Tuesday by the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy naming 88 companies that together made more than $105 billion before taxes last year but paid […]

Fortune: How a Free Tax Filing System From the Government Went From 296,000 Users to Zero in Just One Year

April 16, 2026

“Killing Direct File is not irreversible,” Matthew Gardner said. “We had this brief period when, incredibly, the IRS was given the tools they need to introduce this helpful tool”. Read more.

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: Kentuckians Hit Hard by Rising Gas Prices

April 16, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: Kentuckians Hit Hard by Rising Gas Prices

The United States war in Iran has caused a spike in gas prices that now costs Kentuckians $175 million a month, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more.

Straight Arrow News: Geography Determines Tax Liability As More States Move To Tax the Rich

April 16, 2026

“Wealthy Americans are getting enormous tax breaks. If you raise rates on the very top, especially at a time of spiking inequality, you raise more revenue for the things your communities need,” said Amy Hanauer, the executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more.

Oxfam: Wealth of the 10 richest California billionaires grew by nearly 50% in the last year

April 16, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

Oxfam: Wealth of the 10 richest California billionaires grew by nearly 50% in the last year

ITEP found that California’s richest 1% of households are set to get a $7.3 billion tax break in 2026 thanks to OBBBA. Read more.

America’s Voice: Your Tax Day Reminder That Immigrants Pay Billions in Taxes Every Year

April 16, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

America’s Voice: Your Tax Day Reminder That Immigrants Pay Billions in Taxes Every Year

Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in taxes in 2022, according to research from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. ITEP’s research found that across 40 states, “undocumented immigrants pay higher state and local tax rates than the top 1 percent of households living within their borders.” Read more.

New York Times: Immigrants Are Scared To File Taxes. It Could Cost the U.S. Billions.

April 16, 2026

Before the agreement between the I.R.S. and ICE, unauthorized immigrants paid roughly $60 billion annually in federal taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more.

Policy Matters Ohio: Analysis Shows Ohio Capital Gains Tax Cut Is Another Handout for the Rich

April 16, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

Policy Matters Ohio: Analysis Shows Ohio Capital Gains Tax Cut Is Another Handout for the Rich

Policy Matters Ohio analysis of data from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy demonstrates the drawbacks of eliminating the state and local capital gains tax. Read more.

Washington Center for Equitable Growth: The Other Two-Tiered U.S. Tax System: How Pass-Through Businesses Let the Ultra-Wealthy Dodge Federal Taxes

April 16, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

Washington Center for Equitable Growth: The Other Two-Tiered U.S. Tax System: How Pass-Through Businesses Let the Ultra-Wealthy Dodge Federal Taxes

Large entities get out of paying their fair share by filing as small businesses. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy argues for strengthening the corporate tax by closing the “pass-through loophole.” Read more.