Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

ITEP's Research Priorities

The Huffington Post: Tom Perkins: People With More Money Should Get More Votes

February 14, 2014

(Original Post) The Huffington Post | by Jillian BermanPosted: 02/14/2014 9:39 am EST Updated: 02/14/2014 11:59 am EST Tom Perkins is desperately trying to extend his 15 minutes of infamy. The 82-year-old venture capitalist, who recently made a lot of people angry by comparing progressives to Nazis, told an audience in San Francisco Thursday that […]

WFPL: Gov. Steve Beshear’s Tax Plan Fails to Address Inequality, Economic Think Tank Says

February 11, 2014

(Original Post) By JONATHAN MEADOR Credit Rae Hodge/Kentucky Public Radio Steve Beshear Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear’s tax reform plan fails to address issues of fairness in the state’s tax code, says a non-partisan economic think tank. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy doesn’t think the plan’s Earned Income Tax Credit will be enough to […]

Lexington Herald-Leader: Get it right, go big on tax reform

February 10, 2014

(Original Post) February 9, 2014 Lawmakers have plenty of time to dig into tax reform and improve on what Gov. Steve Beshear has proposed. While Beshear is offering some good ideas, his package does too little to broaden the state’s loophole-ridden tax base while carving out even more loopholes. Kentucky already exempts more in taxes […]

The Garden Island: Licensed to drive

February 3, 2014

(Original Post) Bill would allow undocumented residents to acquire driver’s license Posted: Monday, February 3, 2014 2:00 am Tom LaVenture – The Garden Island LIHUE — Proposed legislation would amend state requirements to allow undocumented residents to qualify for a driver’s license in the interest of public safety, identification and insurance coverage. The “Safe and […]

Tax Analysts: Short on Revenue, State and Local Governments Turn to Nonprofits

February 3, 2014

  And in North Carolina, lawmakers and leaders of nonprofits fought a bitter battle last year over exemptions for nonprofits. Ultimately, HB 998 capped nonprofits’ sales tax refunds at $45 million and required them to begin collecting sales and use taxes on admission charges to entertainment activities. Their property, income, and payroll tax exemptions were […]

La Crosse Tribune: Q&A – Gov. Scott Walker’s tax cut proposal

February 3, 2014

(Original Post) MATTHEW DeFOUR | Wisconsin State Journal | State lawmakers have nearly a billion dollars at their disposal because of higher-than-expected past and future tax revenues. As a result, Gov. Scott Walker has proposed more than $500 million in tax cuts. The Legislature will take up the plan as early as Feb. 11. Here’s […]

WFSU: Florida Retail Federation Backing Tax Holidays, Proposals To Expand Pharmacist Duties

January 30, 2014

(Original Post) Health & Science 4:32 PM TUE JANUARY 28, 2014 By LYNN HATTER The Florida Retail Federation is gearing up for the 2014 legislative session by throwing its support behind a series of proposed sales tax holidays and proposals to expand the duties of pharmacists. Vice President Randy Miller says the group is behind […]

The News Virginian: Teachers impacted as tax breaks expire

January 29, 2014

(Original Post) Posted: Saturday, January 25, 2014 6:45 am Brian Carlton [email protected] According to the Internal Revenue Service, an estimated 4 million teachers spent more than $1 billion paying for school supplies between 2010 and 2013. When those teachers go to fill out federal income tax forms next year, they won’t be able to include […]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Top wage earners get biggest benefit from Gov. Scott Walker’s tax cuts

January 27, 2014

(Original Post) That group pays more, would gain most from property tax trim By Jason Stein and Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel Jan. 24, 2014 Madison — The top 20% of Wisconsin wage earners — those making more than $88,000 a year and paying the most in taxes now — would receive 44% of […]

The Fiscal Times: The 10 Best States for Taxes in 2014

January 27, 2014

(Original Post) BETH BRAVERMAN The Fiscal Times January 24, 2014 Anyone who has a head start on tax planning this year knows that many Americans – particularly high earners – are paying a lot more in taxes this year. But while there’s no dodging federal taxes, the pinch of additional levies varies greatly depending on […]

Milwaukee Courier: Gov. Walker plans massive sales tax hike on the working class

January 22, 2014

(Original Post) 18 JANUARY 2014 Compiled by Courier Staff It’s no secret that Wisconsin is in poor economic shape. Recent numbers indicate that the state is 38th in private sector job growth in the last two years. Despite Governor Scott Walker’s insistence that his Tea Party reforms are working, families in Milwaukee and across the […]

The Courier-Journal: 3 key principles must guide tax code changes

January 22, 2014

  Jason Bailey Special to The Courier-Journal Gov. Steve Beshear announced in his State of the Commonwealth Address that he will propose a specific tax reform plan to the General Assembly. His leadership is welcome and is essential to building support for such an important issue. The big question now concerns the specifics of a […]

NHPR: N.H. Legislators Will Make Another Run At Raising Gas Tax

January 22, 2014

(Original Post) By BRIAN WALLSTIN A year after failing to agree on how to pay for a long list of road and bridge improvements, lawmakers will take another shot at bolstering the state’s chronically underfunded infrastructure this session. Several bills are on the table, including one that would channel proceeds from a casino into the […]

Honolulu Civil Beat: It’s Time to Revamp Hawaii’s GET

January 17, 2014

(Original Post) By Victor Geminiani  01/16/2014 Hawaii taxes our residents in poverty more heavily than all but three other states in the nation. Most of this regressivity is caused by our heavy reliance on the General Excise Tax (GET), which generates half of all revenues collected by the state. Sales and excise taxes are the […]

Southtown Star: Tax breaks for businesses too costly

January 17, 2014

(Original Post) January 15, 2014 8:20PM Updated: January 16, 2014 7:28AM  Those who think that offering tax incentives to corporations to keep them in our state should look at a study by the non-profit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The study concludes that tax incentives not only are too costly for states but provide […]

Al Jazeera America: America’s crumbling infrastructure desperately needs funding

January 17, 2014

(Original Post) by Patrick J. Natale January 17, 2014 Congress should act now to avoid a transportation fiscal cliff in 2015 Last month, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) introduced the Update, Promote and Develop America’s Transportation Essentials (UPDATE) Act. The proposed bill lays out a clear roadmap on how to restore and modernize America’s surface transportation […]

Lexington Herald Leader: Ky. can’t succeed without tax reform

January 13, 2014

(Original Post) BY JASON BAILEY January 12, 2014 Gov. Steve Beshear announced in his State of the Commonwealth address that he will propose a specific tax reform plan to the General Assembly in the coming weeks. His leadership is welcome and is essential to building support for such an important issue. The big question now […]

Jacksonville Journal Courier: The face of America’s tax evaders

January 13, 2014

(Original Post) by WOLF D. FUHRIG Tax shelters are investments that reduce a person’s income tax liability. Home ownership, pension plans, and Individual Retirement Accounts may be interpreted as “tax shelters,” as long as funds in them are not taxed and if they are held within the required amount of time. The Internal Revenue Service […]

Go Local Worcester: MA Residents Face Among Highest Transportation Costs in US

January 9, 2014

(Original Post) Thursday, January 09, 2014 Zeke Wright, GoLocalWorcester Contibutor While Massachusetts contributes a high percentage of transportation-related revenue toward roads, a new report show that road-related taxes and fees can’t keep pace with cost of upkeep in the Commonwealth. According to the data compiled by the Tax Foundation, tolls and user fees, fuel taxes, […]

The Times of Northwest Indiana: Study options before tinkering with taxes

January 6, 2014

(Original Post) January 02, 2014 12:00 am  •  By Doug Ross Indiana Gov. Mike Pence wants to eliminate the personal property tax for businesses, perhaps paying for it by increasing county income taxes. He’s also talking about a very modest state income tax break. At the same time, Indiana’s revenues haven’t kept pace with expectations. […]

Marshfield News-Herald: Tax reform dominating early 2014 political discussions

January 6, 2014

  Logan T. Carlson Central Wisconsin Sunday As the calendar flips to another year, there are rumblings in the State Capitol of Gov. Scott Walker considering idea of eliminating the state’s income tax in favor of shifting the state’s revenue toward a sales tax. No official proposal has been developed or released by Walker, but […]

Los Angeles Times: Corporations lead taxpayers to the shearing

January 6, 2014

(Original Post) By Michael Hiltzik January 5, 2014, 5:00 a.m. Here’s a business practice likely to keep booming in 2014: corporate extortion. We don’t mean extortion of corporations, as is practiced by Somali pirates or entrepreneurial Russians. We mean extortion by corporations. In this field the victims are taxpayers, and what makes it a beautiful […]

Mint Press News: Expiring Tax Deductions Prompt Talk Of Reform For State, Federal Tax System

December 30, 2013

(Original Post) Without congressional action to extend state and federal tax deductions, 11 million taxpayers will lose $17 billion. By Jo Erickson | December 26, 2013 As the year ends nine federal tax provisions will expire, causing some to pay more in state and local sales taxes. Most critics agree that state and federal taxes […]

The Cap Times: What do states with no income tax do for revenue?

December 30, 2013

(Original Post) December 27, 2013 10:25 am • STEVEN ELBOW | The Capital Times | [email protected] Gov. Scott Walker raised a lot of eyebrows earlier this month when he broached the idea of scrapping the state income tax, joining seven other states. So what do Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming do […]

Bloomberg: The Worldwide Leader’s Taxing Hypocrisy

December 30, 2013

(Original Post) By Kavitha A. Davidson Dec 27, 2013 4:38 PM ET What does Governor Dannel Malloy really get from keeping ESPN in Connecticut? It turns out professional teams and leagues aren’t the only billion-dollar sports entities getting big breaks on their tax bills. The New York Times reports that ESPN, the self-proclaimed “worldwide leader […]