Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

ITEP's Research Priorities

Tulsa World: Fallin Hopes to KISS tax issue goodbye

February 4, 2013

BY WAYNE GREENE World Senior Writer Sunday, February 03, 2013 2/3/2013 6:10:41 AM In the debate over state personal income tax rates this year, look for Gov. Mary Fallin to adopt the KISS method – Keep It Simple, Senator. Last year, her proposal seemed like it had more moving parts than a whirligig factory. She […]

Statesman Journal: Examine land value taxation as solution to property tax problems

February 4, 2013

Written by Kris Nelson Commentary The flaws in Oregon’s property tax structure have begun to receive widespread attention. The tax rate limitations and use of taxable assessments emanating from Measures 5 and 50 have resulted in economic distortions and disparities in tax bills among property owners. Our previous study of the cumulative effects of Measure […]

Anniston (AL) Star: Alabama makes the ‘Terrible Ten’ because we are not fair Read more: Anniston Star – Alabama makes the ‘Terrible Ten’ because we are not fair

February 4, 2013

by The Anniston Star Editorial Board Feb 04, 2013 A nonpartisan research organization in Washington, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, says Alabama’s system of taxation was placed on its list of states with the most regressive tax systems. Why are we not surprised? For years, tax experts have told the state’s legislative leaders […]

Public Radio Tulsa: Two Reports Detail Low Savings Rate, Higher Tax Burden for Poor Oklahomans

February 4, 2013

(Original Post) By Catherine Roberts     Two new reports are out this week about Oklahomans and their money: one (read it here) is about how many people save their money and to what extent, and the other (read it here) is about who pays the biggest percentage of their money in taxes. Forty-four percent is […]

Hawaii Star Advertiser: Poor in Hawaii are taxed liberally

February 4, 2013

(Original Post) A new study by the nonpartisan Institute of Taxation and Policy ranks Hawaii fourth highest among the states in taxes on the poor, challenging the state’s reputation of being politically liberal.

Indiana Public Media: Indiana Taxes Disadvantage Low-Income Groups

February 4, 2013

(Original Post) By Brandon Smith, IPBSPosted February 4, 2013 A new study from a national research group suggests Indiana’s overall tax structure is disadvantageous to middle- and low-income Hoosiers. The report from the Institute on Taxation and Fiscal Policy says, taking into consideration Indiana’s income, sales, property and excise taxes, the effective tax rate means […]

The Badger Herald: Study shows uneven distribution of income tax

February 1, 2013

(Original Post) By WebmasterThe Badger HeraldJan 31, 2013 7:00am An independent state nonprofit that addresses tax- and budget-related issues released figures Wednesday showing taxes among lower, middle and upper class families are unequally distributed in Wisconsin. The report from the Wisconsin Budget Project referenced the findings in the Washington-based Institution on Taxation and Economic Policy’s […]

WHBY: Study compares income, taxes

February 1, 2013

A study shows people with smaller incomes spend a larger share of their money, on all taxes. Jon Peacock is with the Wisconsin Budget Project. He says for those who make less than $21,000 a year, almost 10 percent of their income goes toward sales, property, and income taxes. He says the rate is seven […]

Wisconsin Public Radio: POOR PAY MORE OF THEIR INCOME IN TAXES

February 1, 2013

(Original Post) Thursday January 31, 2013 by Shawn Johnson A new national study says poor people in Wisconsin, as in most states, devote a larger share of their incomes to taxes than do wealthier residents. The study’s author says an income tax cut being weighed by Republicans would exacerbate that trend. The study by the […]

Minnesota Post: Study confirms Minnesota’s tax system is unfair

February 1, 2013

(Original Post) By Jeff Van Wychen | 03:52 pm A new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) provides fresh insight on who is paying state and local taxes in the United States. “Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States” confirms that in Minnesota and the […]

Public News Service: Tax Report for WYO Inspires Proposed Gas Tax Amendment

February 1, 2013

(Original Post) January 31, 2013 CASPER, Wyo. – Tax season is getting underway, and a new report lays out the percentages taxes take out of family incomes in Wyoming. The “Who Pays?” study shows that taxes as a percentage of income are lowest for the richest and highest for the poorest. With that report in […]

The Town Talk: Louisiana’s tax code and proposal draw warning

February 1, 2013

Written by Mike Hasten Gannett Louisiana BATON ROUGE — Louisiana’s current tax structure is unfair to low- and middle-income families, a study examining tax structures says, and the tax revision plan pushed by Gov. Bobby Jindal would make it worse. Matthew Gardner, head of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy and lead investigator on […]

Kake TV: KS Revenue Chief Not Moved By National Tax Study

February 1, 2013

Friday, February 1, 2013 Kansas Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan says he doesn’t put much stock in a recent study from a non-partisan research group suggesting the state’s tax system is unfair to the poor. Jordan said Thursday the Washington-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy praises states that rely heavily on personal income taxes for […]

The Kansas City Star: With state tax reform, first do no harm

February 1, 2013

February 1 By MATTHEW GARDNER After a presidential election campaign during which tax fairness debates figured prominently, the battle has now emphatically shifted to the states. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, for instance, recently announced his support for a “flatter, fairer” tax code, and lawmakers in more than a dozen other states are poised to grapple […]

CBS Philly: Pa. Named One Of ‘Terrible Ten’ States In Tax Equity

February 1, 2013

(Original Post) February 1, 2013 5:33 AM By Kim Glovas PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A new study on taxes shows Pennsylvania has the distinction of being in the “Terrible Ten”, the ten worst states in terms of tax equity. The study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says Pennsylvania families earning less than $19,000 […]

The Examiner: Poorer Kansans pay higher percentage of taxes than wealthier Kansans

February 1, 2013

(Original Post) January 31, 2013By: James Jordan A study by a non-partisan research group says the poorest Kansans pay a higher percentage of their income in state and local taxes than do the state’s wealthiest residents. The study, released Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, shows a national trend in this direction. The Institute on Taxation and […]

The Paris Post-Intelligencer: The poor paying more, study of taxes declares

January 31, 2013

(Original Post) Published: Thursday, January 31, 2013 11:29 AM CSTIt’s hardly new information, but it bears repeating from time to time to make sure we don’t forget: Tennessee’s tax system punishes the poor. When taxes are calculated as a percentage of income, low-income families in this state pay four times as much as the very […]

The Philadelphia Post: When it Comes to Taxes in Pennsylvania, It’s Good to be Rich

January 31, 2013

(Original Post) When everybody comes out to vote, (i.e. presidential elections) Pennsylvania’s a blue state. And at least in certain pockets, it behaves much like the northeastern liberal states the surround it, like New Jersey, Maryland, and New York. When it comes to taxation, however, it looks a lot more like Texas or Alabama. According […]

Business Insider: There’s A Reason Bill Gates And Jeff Bezos Both Call Washington State Home

January 31, 2013

(Original Post) Megan Durisin    | Jan. 31, 2013, 3:43 PM Why does the wealthiest man in America live in Washington? The answer is in a report released this week by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Washington’s tax system is the most disjointed in the nation, leaving rich residents — including Bill Gates, the […]

Birmingham Business Journal: Alabama tax system lands in ‘terrible 10’

January 31, 2013

(Original Post) Jan 31, 2013, 2:21pm CST Staff Birmingham Business Journal Alabama has one of the nation’s 10 most regressive tax systems, according to a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The institute claims the lack of a graduated personal income tax and a reliance on sales and consumption taxes has […]

The Huffington Post: 10 States Placing Tax Burdens On The Poor

January 31, 2013

(Original Post) By Bonnie Kavoussi    Posted: 01/31/2013 11:23 am EST Don’t need another reason why it’s so good to be rich? We’re giving it to you anyway. State and local governments on average tax the bottom 20 percent of households by income at double the overall tax rate of the top 1 percent, according to […]

Knox News: TN Taxes Hardest on Middle and Low-income Families

January 31, 2013

Nashville, Tennessee – Like most state tax systems, Tennessee takes a much larger share from middle- and low-income families than from wealthy families, according to the fourth edition of Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States, released today by the Washington-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and […]

The Daily World: Study claims state tax structure unfair

January 31, 2013

Jan 31, 2013 Written by Mike Hasten BATON ROUGE — Like many states, Louisiana’s current tax structure is unfair to low- and middle-income families, a study examining tax structures released today says. But the tax revision plan pushed by Gov. Bobby Jindal, dropping income taxes in exchange for higher sales taxes, would make it worse, […]

The Advocate: Low-income taxpayers pay larger share in La.

January 31, 2013

(Original Post) Capitol news bureau January 31, 2013 Louisiana’s tax system takes a much-larger share from middle-and-low income residents than the wealthy just like most states, according to a national report released Wednesday. The state did not make it into the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy’s list of most regressive states when it comes […]

The Tennessean: New study calls Tennessee’s tax system ‘unfair’

January 31, 2013

Written by Bobby Allyn The Tennessean Tennessee is often championed as a low-tax state. But for struggling families, it might not be among the fairest. As a percentage of income, state and local governments tax low-income families four times as much as the very wealthy, according to a report released on Wednesday by a pro-income […]