Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

ITEP's Research Priorities

The Topeka Capital-Journal: Gov. Sam Brownback: Tax Package Not a Tax Increase

June 18, 2015

The Washington-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which is critical of the policy, said according to its analysis the poorest 20 percent of Kansans will pay about $197 more in taxes in 2015 than they would have without both the 2012 tax cuts and 2015 tax hike. In addition, the analysis found that the […]

Kansas City Star: As Gov. Sam Brownback signs Kansas budget plan, he denies that it counts as a tax increase

June 18, 2015

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal-leaning think tank that has criticized Brownback’s policies, released an analysis hours later showing that the bottom 40 percent of Kansans on average will end up paying more in taxes. People making less than $23,000 a year will pay an average of $197 more a year in […]

Lawrence Journal-World: Brownback Signs Budget; Claims Success in 2015 Session

June 18, 2015

According to the administration, without the tax bills passed this year, Kansans would pay $1.06 billion less in income and sales taxes than they would have before the 2012 tax cuts were enacted. The legislation passed this year raises $338 million in sales and income taxes, leaving a net savings of $729 million. But the […]

Inquisitr: Kansas Raises Taxes On The Poor To Pay For Wealthy Tax Cuts

June 18, 2015

Meg Wiehe from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy told the Washington Post that only the rich have incomes that are growing. “Kansas has really shifted the responsibility for paying for taxes from those at the top with the most income, where income is growing, to those at the very bottom of the income […]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Kansas Governor Says Deficit Plan is Not a Tax Increase

June 18, 2015

“Brownback, his top aides and their legislative allies have argued repeatedly that cuts in income tax rates benefited all classes of taxpayers. The governor noted that one provision of this year’s tax legislation will exempt 388,000 low-income Kansans, starting in 2016. But a new analysis Tuesday from Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan […]

KWCH: Brownback Says Tax Plan is Not an Increase, Critics Disagree

June 18, 2015

“The vast majority of 2.8 million Kansans are doing worse,” Ward said. “They’ve had their taxes increased twice in the last three years.” Ward said the sales tax increases in recent years have outweighed any income tax cuts meaning poor people are paying more. A study from The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy out […]

TPM: Brownback: Despite Sales Tax Hike, It’s ‘Not Accurate’ That We’re Raising Taxes

June 18, 2015

Brownback, his top aides and their legislative allies have argued repeatedly that cuts in income tax rates benefited all classes of taxpayers. The governor noted that one provision of this year’s tax legislation will exempt 388,000 low-income Kansans, starting in 2016. But a new analysis Tuesday from Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan […]

Kansas City Star: Brownback Continues Defense of 2012 Kansas Tax Cuts, Which He Says Exceed 2015 Tax Hikes

June 18, 2015

Brownback contends that all taxpayers have benefited from the cuts. Critics say that wealthier Kansans gained most directly. And an analysis Tuesday from Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan but left-leaning policy group, said the poorest 20 percent of the state will pay 1.5 percent more in taxes than they did in 2012, […]

KWCH: More Kansans May Need Help Due to Higher Sales Tax Costs

June 18, 2015

Kansans who make the least often pay more of their income on taxes. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says anyone who make less than $20,000 a year pays about 11% of their income on taxes. The percentage drops a bit for those making up to $94,000. Those who make the most, around $440,000 […]

KWCH: New Tax Law; Who Pays Less, More

June 18, 2015

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan, left-leaning group based in Washington D.C., ran the numbers and projects the poor will pay more, while the rich will pay less. Here’s how their numbers break down when considering the tax changes in the last four years. The 20 percent of Kansans who make less […]

U.S. News and World Report: Kansas Gov. Brownback Says Sales and Cigarette Tax Rises Are Not Tax Increases

June 18, 2015

But a new analysis Tuesday from Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan but left-leaning policy group based in Washington, said the cumulative effects of the changes in tax policy since 2012 have benefited the state’s wealthiest residents the most, while increasing taxes for its poorest residents. The analysis posted online said the poorest […]

Wichita Eagle: Brownback Signs Budget and Tax Bills, Defends Tax Policies

June 17, 2015

TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback says a plan increasing sales and other taxes does not count as a tax increase because it comes on the heels of income tax cuts passed three years ago. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal-leaning think tank that has criticized Brownback’s policies, released an analysis hours later […]

Kansas City Star: TheChat: Kansas Evaluates Impact of the Raucous 2015 Session

June 17, 2015

The fallout from the 2015 session continues. ▪ “It’s clearly a cautionary tale for other states to have in mind.” — Matthew Gardner, executive director of the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, on how Kansas’ experience with tax cuts, and their resulting budget problems, is discouraging other states from following suit. For example, […]

KCTV Kansas City: Kansas Governor Says Deficit Plan Is Not a Tax Increase

June 17, 2015

Brownback, his top aides and their legislative allies have argued repeatedly that cuts in income tax rates benefited all classes of taxpayers. The governor noted that one provision of this year’s tax legislation will exempt 388,000 low-income Kansans, starting in 2016. But a new analysis Tuesday from Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan […]

KSHB Kansas City: Social Service Agencies Worry About Potential Effects of Kansas Budget

June 17, 2015

According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the poorest 40 percent of Kansans will pay an average of $131 more in taxes because of the new budget. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the poorest 40 percent of Kansans will pay an average of $131 more in taxes because of […]

New York Times: Kansas Tax Cutting Model Tarnished by Sales Tax Increase

June 15, 2015

Matthew Gardner, executive director of the left-leaning, Washington-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said Kansas’ experience makes it more difficult for other states to pursue aggressive income tax cuts. In South Carolina, Republican Gov. Nikki Haley couldn’t pass income tax cuts even after declaring, “We are not doing what Kansas did.” “It’s clearly a […]

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio’s Top Earners Benefit More From Senate’s Tax Plan Than House’s, Analysis Says

June 15, 2015

The report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy on behalf of liberal research group Policy Matters Ohio estimates that the lowest 40 percent of Ohio income earners would see an average tax increase of about $20, although that number would fluctuate depending on whether someone smokes. Read more

Star Tribune: Kansas Lawmakers Pass Plan to Boost Sales, Cigarette Taxes After Brownback’s Budget Warnings

June 15, 2015

“TOPEKA, Kan. — Republican legislators in Kansas narrowly approved tax increases Friday, responding to pleas from their leaders and a warning from GOP Gov. Sam Brownback’s aides about draconian spending cuts that could result if they didn’t erase a budget deficit. “Clearly, a move away from income taxes toward consumption makes an already unfair tax […]

Daily Record: Letter: State’s Tax Structure Hits the Poor the Hardest

June 15, 2015

Why did the recession have such a damaging effect on the state budget? Because, almost uniquely in the country, most of our state’s revenue comes from various kinds of sales tax. This causes real problems. The non-partisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says Washington’s tax system is the most unfair in the entire country. […]

The Washington Post: How Kansas Keeps Making Life Harder for the Poor

June 15, 2015

Poor families in Kansas would pay even more in taxes under a bill the state House passed Friday. Matt Gardner, the executive director of the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said the new legislation would “double down” on those changes. “A tax hike of this size is going to have a worrisome impact […]

Presna Latina: Substantial Contribution of Immigrants to US Economy

June 12, 2015

The text states that the contributions of this sector would increase by $ 845 million if the migrant relief proposed by US President Barack Obama is finally approved, and in 2.2 billion with a broader immigration reform, according to a recent study by the Intitute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more

Salon: Sam Brownback Guts Kansas Even More: This Is Life Under America’s Worst Republican Governor

June 12, 2015

Brownback’s well-paid tax consultant, the legendary economist Laffer, promised Kansans that the cuts would pay for themselves in supercharged economic growth. At the time, a report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy showed that Laffer had things backward: over the previous decade, economic output per person had grown significantly faster in the nine […]

The Washington Post: The Facts About Rick Perry And The ‘Texas Miracle’

June 9, 2015

On average, the poorest one in five Texas residents pays 12.5 percent of their annual income in taxes to the state and to local governments, among the highest rates in the country, according to the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Since the poor spend more of their income making basic purchases, sales taxes […]

Columbus Dispatch: Kasich Flirts With Steve Forbes’ Flat Tax

June 9, 2015

“If you ask its advocates why it’s a good idea, one of the first things they’ll say is it’s a simpler way to tax,” said Matt Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning nonprofit organization in Washington. “I think that’s largely an illusion. “Any move to a flat tax […]

The News-Herald: Amazon’s Ohio Sales Tax Collection Seen As Way To ‘Level Playing Field,’ Close Tax Loophole

June 9, 2015

Some states, however, have decided not to wait for the federal government to make the change. So far, 10 states have taken their own limited steps to expand the number of retailers that must collect sales taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. New York was first, enacting legislation in 2008 requiring […]