Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

ITEP's Research Priorities

The Spokesman Review: For tax cutters, here’s another cold shower

December 15, 2015

“In terms of distributing the tax burden equally among rich and poor alike, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ranks Idaho’s balanced system of sales, income and property taxes as fifth best in the country.” Read more

International Business Times: Tax Code To Direct $2 Trillion To Programs That Disproportionately Benefit The Rich And Corporations

December 15, 2015

“Most of the big tax expenditures have an incredibly corrosive effect on tax fairness and would never pass muster if they were funded as direct-spending programs rather than tax breaks,” said Matt Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington-based group that has pushed to end some tax expenditures. “If […]

Newsworks: Pa. sales tax can be expanded in an equitable way

December 14, 2015

“A third group was rightly concerned that the sales tax places too much of a burden on those with low incomes. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the lowest-income 20 percent of Pennsylvania families pay an average of 5.8 percent of their income in sales tax. The top 20 percent, by contrast, […]

CT Post: Bidding war for GE; corporations call the shots

December 14, 2015

“The sweepstakes underscores the leverage corporations have to dictate terms to states and how loudly their complaints can resonate. Cutting some proposed corporate taxes was part of the reason Gov. Dannel P. Malloy called a special session of the General Assembly last week. “The real problem of giving into corporate demands like these is you’re […]

Washington Examiner: Illegal immigration trips up tax deal

December 7, 2015

  The improper payments to illegal immigrants, though, are minor compared to the revenue those workers contribute through payroll taxes, argued Matt Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit left-of-center think tank. Gardner noted a 2013 Social Security Administration study finding that illegal immigrants pay $12 billion annually into […]

The Columbian: Jayne: What is ‘fair’ when it comes to Washington taxation?

December 7, 2015

“According to the nonpartisan, nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Washington households in the lowest one-fifth of income pay 16.8 percent of their income in taxes, while the top 1 percent of earners pay 2.4 percent. Those in the 61st percentile to the 80th percentile pay 8.5 percent of their income in taxes. The […]

American Press: Edwards, GOP conflicts expected

December 7, 2015

“Edwards, as a state representative, and other Democrats fought for Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, but they were unsuccessful primarily because of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s opposition. Edwards said he would expand the program on his first day in office, but has since said legal issues have to be resolved first. An increase in the current $7.25 […]

USA Today: Turning Pfizer Irish: Our view

December 3, 2015

“According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Pfizer has been particularly adept at setting up overseas shell companies. The company lists 151 subsidiaries in places such as Ireland, Luxembourg, Holland, the Channel Islands and the Cayman Islands. It has used them to manufacture paper losses in the USA, though this is where it […]

Test Tube: What Happens When You Don’t Accept Immigrants?

December 3, 2015

“World-wide, these examples of anti-immigration laws imply that immigrants somehow cause harm, however, there aren’t really any studies that definitively show any long-term negative effects of a country accepting immigrants. In the U.S. conservatives often accuse immigrants of “taking our jobs”, when in reality they are an exploited source of cheap labor with little to […]

The Christian Science Monitor: Should ‘innovation’ be tax deductible?

December 3, 2015

““The patent box concept is ripe for exploitation and abuse,” writes Matt Gardner, executive director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a think tank which has advocated for closing corporate tax loopholes, in a blog post from July.” Read more

NJ.com: Christie: Fate of Syrian refugees in N.J. ‘not my choice’

December 3, 2015

“According to a 50-state analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank, 8.1 million of 11.4 million undocumented immigrants who work paid more than $11.8 billion in state and local taxes in 2012.” Read more

MediaPost Communications: Pfizer’s Pitch: Tax-based Deal Is Good For U.S.A.

November 30, 2015

“But, absent the sound and fury of politicos — and just-plain folks who also feel they could stimulate the economy if they paid less in taxes — it doesn’t amount to a heck of a lot more than “paying a projected tax rate of about 17 or 18%, down from Pfizer’s current 25%” in the […]

Sequim Gazette: Think about It: Readerspeak

November 30, 2015

“I also heard from a Gazette reader who answered my column mind wonderings into minority rule by calling it the “Butterfly Effect” of Washington’s regressive tax system and sent along the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ITEP website to make the point (www.itep.org/whopays/). The website ranks Washington the most, as in No. 1, unfair […]

Politico: Getting to be extenders time

November 30, 2015

“YOUR CYBER MONDAY TAX UPDATE: Carl Davis of the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy notes that this year will be the first holiday season that Amazon — in the midst of a massive national expansion of its distribution network — collects sales tax in a majority of states. In fact, ITEP notes that […]

Herald and News: Oregon tax structure good…for now

November 30, 2015

“WalletHub says Oregon has the second-fairest tax system; the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ranks it third. Broad rankings that include corporate and individual taxes tend to look less favorably at Oregon. A recent Forbes ranking placed Oregon as the 16th worst state. If you look only at corporate income taxes, Oregon has the […]

The Argus Observer: Business tax changes might not be good

November 30, 2015

“Other rankings concur with the Tax Foundation’s assessment that Oregon has relatively low business taxes, in part because the state doesn’t have a sales tax. Groups that emphasize fairness also tend to score Oregon well. WalletHub says Oregon has the second-fairest tax system; the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ranks it third. Broad rankings […]

Bustle: 5 Facts About Immigration In The United States You Should Know

November 24, 2015

“In 2012, immigrants paid $11.8 billion in state and local taxes — and according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, that number could potentially rise by $2.2 billion once proper immigration reform is instituted.” Read more

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pa. sales tax looks to climb; so does unfairness, critics say

November 24, 2015

“Tax experts say the sales tax extracts an especially high price on the poor. In addition, renters, who constitute 30 percent of the state’s households, would receive no direct benefit from property-tax breaks. “There’s a reason why Pennsylvania has one of the most unfair tax systems in the country, and it’s the sales tax,” said […]

The Oregonian: Oregon’s vulnerable tax ranking: Editorial

November 24, 2015

“Other rankings concur with the Tax Foundation’s assessment that Oregon has relatively low business taxes, in part because the state doesn’t have a sales tax. Groups that emphasize fairness also tend to score Oregon well. WalletHub says Oregon has the second-fairest tax system; the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ranks it third. Broad rankings […]

Latin Post: Arizona DACA Recipients Fighting to Keep In-State Tuition Rates

November 24, 2015

“According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Arizona immigrants currently provide the state with nearly $238 million in state and local taxes. With the executive actions, immigrants would pay an additional $18.7 million in Arizona’s local and state taxes.” Read more

Slate: Once Again, Pfizer Is Trying to Move Overseas to Avoid U.S. Taxe

November 24, 2015

“Keep in mind that when they invert, companies like Pfizer are basically moving their official postal address and not a ton more; it’s not as if Pfizer is uprooting all of its factories and R&D and moving them to Dublin, too. As Matt Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, put […]

Reno Gazette-Journal: One view: Tesla and the tax-burden shift to working Nevadans

November 19, 2015

“That’s total taxpayer bills approaching $2 billion — before Tesla. The Chamber will no doubt propose a sales tax hike, which Kazmierski has already endorsed, making our extremely regressive tax system even more so. As the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has found, Nevadans making less than $20,000 a year already pay six times […]

Government Technology: Taxing by the Mile, Not the Gallon

November 16, 2015

“New, more fuel efficient cars have eaten into gas tax revenue. Furthermore, many gas tax rates — including Oregon’s 30-cent levy — have not kept up with inflation. In Oregon the effective tax rate will fall to less than 24 cents per gallon in inflation-adjusted terms within 10 years, according to the Institute on Taxation […]

Reboot Illinois: How Much Do Undocumented Immigrants In Illinois Pay in State and Local Taxes

November 16, 2015

“Undocumented immigrants living in Illinois pay an estimated $794 million in state and local taxes each year, according to a report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The report provides state-by-state estimates on the current state and local tax contributions of the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. as of 2012.” […]

RH Reality Check: Obama Administration to Petition Supreme Court to Review Ruling Against Immigration Reform

November 16, 2015

“The State of Texas has a lot to gain financially from implementing Obama’s executive action, according to researchers. A 50-state study, Undocumented Immigrants’ State and Local Tax Contributions, released by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) in April, found that undocumented immigrants’ tax contributions would increase significantly were they allowed to work legally […]