Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

ITEP's Research Priorities

City Pulse: Michigan’s tax unfairness

July 8, 2013

(Original Post) Wednesday, July 3,2013 by Walt Sorg In 2011, Gov. Rick Snyder defended his $2.6 billion in tax increases on families, coupled with a $1.6 billion business tax cut, as “tax fairness.” The reality, according to a study by a respected nonprofit national think tank, was to take a system that basically screwed low- […]

Minneapolis Star Tribune: Major player in Anoka calls it a career

July 3, 2013

(Original Post) Article by: JIM ADAMS , Star Tribune Updated: July 2, 2013 – 1:46 PM Bob Kirchner, a persistent community development director, retires after 35 years with Anoka. After negotiating development deals in Anoka for three decades, Bob Kirchner may have a more lasting impact on the old river town than any other city […]

Honolulu Magazine: Dependence Day

July 3, 2013

(Original Post) The IRS scandal reached even Hawaii. But why worry when the IRS asks for a list of everyone who ever attended your events? Honolulu Magazine’s editor A. Kam Napier. The scandals have been piling up pretty deep this year, and its been strange to see Hawaii appear in two of them. The whole […]

Cincinnati CityBeat: Bad News Budget

July 3, 2013

(Original Post)  State Republicans lower taxes for the rich, defund Planned Parenthood and try to block health care for the poor in Kasich-signed budget BY GERMAN LOPEZ · JULY 3RD, 2013 With Gov. John Kasich’s signature, Republican state officials on June 30 passed a budget that alters taxes, schools, Medicaid and abortion services in Ohio, […]

MSN Money: 8 states where the gas tax just went up

July 3, 2013

(Original Post) From Connecticut to Wyoming, lawmakers are turning to these hikes to fund long overdue road and infrastructure projects. By Bruce Kennedy It’s the summer driving season, and while gas prices traditionally rise this time of year, they’ve been falling of late. But July 1 was the start of a new fiscal year for […]

CNN Money: Just in Time for the Holiday, 8 States Raise Gas Taxes

July 2, 2013

(Original Post) POSTED BY RYAN HOLEYWELL | JULY 1, 2013 Drivers hitting the road for the Independence Day holiday will encounter higher gas taxes in eight states, according to data compiled by Citizens For Tax Justice. While the changes could frustrate drivers — if they notice the slight hikes — there’s a silver lining: many […]

Triangle Business Journal: N.C. gas tax rises to 37.6 cents a gallon

July 1, 2013

(Original Post)  Jul 1, 2013, 3:57pm EDT Logistics & Transportation Chris Bagley Staff Writer- Triangle Business Journal North Carolina increased its motor fuels tax to its second-highest level in history on Monday. The increase was small, just one-tenth of a cent per gallon, but the 37.6-cents-per-gallon level is second only to the 38.9 cents per […]

The Wichita Eagle: Average Kansan probably won’t notice small dip in sales tax rate on most purchases, lawmaker says

July 1, 2013

(Original Post) By BRENT D. WISTROM Eagle Topeka bureau Published Saturday, June 29, 2013, at 5:18 p.m. TOPEKA — The state’s portion of the sales tax is about shrink a little. Today, the state would collect $31.50 in sales tax on a $500 purchase. Starting Monday, it will take 75 cents less because of a […]

The Barre Montpelier Times Argus: Kids count

June 28, 2013

  June 28,2013 Once again Vermont finished high in the ranking of children’s well-being released earlier this week by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The foundation’s Kids Count survey of the states measures children’s well-being in 16 categories relating to economic well-being, health, education and family and community. These include categories such as the number […]

The Columbus Dispatch: Top 1% of earners fare best in proposed Ohio tax plan, study says

June 26, 2013

(Original Post) By  Jim Siegel The Columbus Dispatch Wednesday June 26, 2013 8:58 AM A new analysis yesterday added fuel to criticism of a new tax plan that would decrease Ohioans’ income tax but increase the state sales and commercial activities taxes. A study for Policy Matters Ohio by the Institute on Taxation and Economic […]

Paul Harris Show: Raising The Gas Tax

June 25, 2013

(Original Post) The federal gas tax (18.4¢/gallon) hasn’t changed since 1993, but the cost of maintaining America’s roads has increased substantially. Today on my America Weekend show, I talked with Matthew Gardner of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy about the options for fixing the way we pay for the repair of our infrastructure. […]

Paul Harris Show: Raising The Gas Tax

June 25, 2013

(Original Post) The federal gas tax (18.4¢/gallon) hasn’t changed since 1993, but the cost of maintaining America’s roads has increased substantially. Today on my America Weekend show, I talked with Matthew Gardner of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy about the options for fixing the way we pay for the repair of our infrastructure. […]

MSNBC: Putting the lie to gross Hispanic stereotypes by Gohmert, ‘Top Gear’

June 25, 2013

(Original Post)  Martin Bashir, @bashirlive 5:56 PM on 06/24/201 As the battle over immigration intensifies, some of the rhetoric against any kind of reform is heating up. Last week at a rally against immigration reform, Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert said, “If you’re coming into the country, don’t come in to be a taker.” The implication […]

News & Observer: NC tax reform will have major implications for next generation

June 24, 2013

By Christopher Gergen and Stephen Martin There are times when stark choices about the future of our state arise – and we seem to be at one of these crossroads now. The debate is trapped in the wonky world of tax reform. But the implications of this debate are very real and worth paying attention […]

Las Vegas City Life: Notes on inequality and the screwing of the little guy in Las Vegas

June 21, 2013

6:47 pm – June 19, 2013 by LAUNCE RAKE Las Vegas is one of those American cities where intense inequalities of wealth and status aren’t just obvious, they are rubbed in your face. Wealth and power brings with it the luxury of $1,000 bottle service, stretch limos and the right to hire a private police […]

Associated Press: States look to tax hybrid and electric car owners to recoup road funding

June 18, 2013

(Original Post) Published June 09, 2013Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. –  North Carolina is joining a growing number of states exploring new fees for hybrid and electric car owners to help make up for revenue those drivers aren’t paying in gas taxes on their fuel-efficient vehicles. The proposal strikes many owners of alternative-fuel vehicles and some […]

The Birmingham News: The tax you pay for what you use every day

June 18, 2013

(Original Post) By Mike D. Smith on June 14, 2013 at 4:49 PM, updated June 15, 2013 at 11:08 PM I know I can tell you to the cent what I gave Alabama Power last month. Same goes for my cellphone bill, car note and my apartment complex. All that really matters when we’re direct-depositing […]

US News & World Report: What’s the Matter with Kansas’ Tax Policy?

June 18, 2013

(Original Post) By Pat GarofaloJune 13, 2013 Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has presided over one of the most rightward lurches of any state in the nation, on issues such as health care, abortion and education. But the crown jewel of his administration has been a package of cuts to Kansas’ income tax – the […]

US News & World Report: What’s the Matter with Kansas’ Tax Policy?

June 18, 2013

(Original Post) By Pat GarofaloJune 13, 2013 Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has presided over one of the most rightward lurches of any state in the nation, on issues such as health care, abortion and education. But the crown jewel of his administration has been a package of cuts to Kansas’ income tax – the […]

Business Insider: The Chart That Eviscerates Five Terrible Talking Points About Taxes

June 18, 2013

(Original Post) Discussions of tax progressivity tend to have a low ratio of signal to noise. The following chart should clear up a few things. Here are the big takeaways: Our tax code is highly progressive. Almost everybody pays something. Even the poorest 20 per cent of American households (who make on average about $11,000) […]

The Progressive Pulse: 90% of benefits from Corporate Income Tax repeal to go out of state

June 13, 2013

(Original Post) Post on June 12, 2013 by Allan Freyer One of the most eye-popping parts of the Senate tax reform plan is the proposed elimination of the state’s Corporate Income Tax, for a cost of $1 billion in foregone revenue each year.  Although Senate leaders have expressed high hopes for the economic benefits of […]

Huffington Post: 18 Of America’s Biggest Companies Using Tax Havens To Skirt $92 Billion In U.S. Taxes

June 10, 2013

(Original Post) The Huffington Post  |  By Jillian Berman    Posted: 06/03/2013 1:58 pm EDT  |  Updated: 06/03/2013 5:05 pm EDT Apple may be getting all the attention from lawmakers and the news media for its offshore tax practices, but a new report finds that other major companies are using similar tactics to avoid paying taxes […]

Bloomberg Businessweek: Electric-Car Owners Get Taxed for Not Paying Gas Taxes

June 10, 2013

(Original Post) By Alison VekshinJune 06, 2013 Hugh Joyce, a contractor in Richmond, Va., owns three plug-in cars, and like many green-car evangelists, he’s unabashed about his love for them—especially his new $80,000 Tesla (TSLA) Model S. It’s “the most important vehicle since the Model T,” he says. “It’s the first electric car with a […]

The Capital Times: Out with progressive, in with regressive state taxes

June 10, 2013

(Original Post) June 08, 2013 4:45 am  •  JOEL McNALLY | state columnist Remember back when Wisconsin was proud to be one of the most progressive states in the nation? Even more importantly, do you remember the states we all held in contempt for exactly the opposite distinction — being the most regressive states in […]

Las Vegas City Life: It only took 121 days for lawmakers to ignore tax reform, be good to gays and fawn over the Ghost Rider

June 10, 2013

4:00 pm – June 05, 2013 by LAUNCE RAKE The Nevada Legislature met in 2013, aware that its solemn duty was to address the profound issues affecting every citizen of the state, most especially a tax and funding system that everyone, from all parties and industries, agreed was completely dysfunctional. And so, 120 days-plus-one after […]