Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

ITEP's Research Priorities

VT Digger: Tax reform, Part 1: Where policy meets politics

January 8, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) Posted By Anne Galloway On February 3, 2011 @ 1:39 am In Public Policy | 12 Editor’s note: This is the first in a five-part series about the Vermont Blue Ribbon Tax Structure Commission Report. In addition to this analysis of the politics of taxation, in the coming week, VTDigger.org will […]

Deseret News: Current cuts won’t get Utah through 2011

January 8, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) Down-to-the-bone look at taxes called a necessityBy James Thalman Deseret NewsPublished: Friday, Nov. 27, 2009 4:39 p.m. MST Cutbacks in agency budgets have so far helped Utah handle a tax-revenue pinch, but they won’t do much to get through the blockage awaiting in 2011, local and national budget-policy analysts say. A […]

Salt Lake City Weekly: 9 Reasons the Rich Get Richer

January 8, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) A tax expert’s story on tax myths may not be sexy, but it could arouse you—and not in a good way. By David Cay Johnston Posted // April 13,2011 – For three decades, we have conducted a massive economic experiment, testing a theory known as supply-side economics. The theory goes like […]

Dallas Morning News: Report: Poor Texans shoulder heavy tax burden

January 8, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) 07:44 AM CST on Thursday, November 19, 2009 By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning [email protected] AUSTIN – Texas’ low-income residents bear heavier tax burdens than their counterparts in all but four other states, a new study shows. The bottom fifth of Texas earners pay just over 12 percent of […]

Politifact: Paul Krugman says poorest 40 percent of Texans pay more in Texas than national average

January 8, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) Paul Krugman on Monday, February 28th, 2011 in an op-ed column. Paul Krugman says poorest 40 percent of Texans pay more in Texas than national average New York Times columnist Paul Krugman sees Texas as a model for how things might be going wrong across the nation and in his latest […]

Lubbock Avalanche Journal: Letter: Tax analysis shows poor pay disproportionately

January 8, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) Posted: May 4, 2011 – 12:12am State and local legislators should read the 2009 report titled, “Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States.” The report, by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington, D.C., non-profit, non-partisan research group is the result of a […]

The Commercial Appeal: A terrible decision

January 8, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) By Staff Reports Friday, November 20, 2009 Tennessee lawmakers who controlled the debate over state tax reform in 2002 can proudly point to Tennessee’s No. 3 ranking on the list of states with the lowest state and local taxes. Per person, Tennesseans paid an average of $3,005 in 2007, according to […]

The Commercial Appeal: Report says Tennessee’s tax system among nation’s most regressive

January 8, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) By Richard Locker Originally published 11:28 a.m., November 18, 2009Updated 12:07 a.m., November 19, 2009 NASHVILLE — The Tennessee tax system is the fourth most regressive among the states, with lower-income families paying a higher portion of their income in state and local taxes than do more affluent households, according to […]

Chattanooga Times Free Press: Liberal group raps state tax regressivity

January 7, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) By: Andy Sher Thursday, November 19, 2009 NASHVILLE — The Tennessee and Alabama tax systems are among the nation’s worst when it comes to favoring the rich over the poor and middle class, according to a study by a Washington-based research organization. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberalleaning […]

Williston Observer: Taxes and the wisdom of our forebears

January 7, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) July 16, 2009 BY BRIAN MILLER One hundred years ago, on July 17, 1909, Sen. William E. Borah, R-Idaho wrote the words, “The income tax is the fairest and most equitable of the taxes. It is the one tax which approaches us in the hour of prosperity and departs in the […]

Knoxville News Sentinel: Think tank- Tennessee state income tax would help fixed-income families

January 7, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) By Josh Flory Thursday, April 15, 2010 This probably isn’t the best day to bring it up, but a Washington, D.C., think tank has an idea for cutting the tax burden on Tennessee’s fixed-income families: impose a state income tax. The proposal comes from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, […]

Nashville City Paper: Republican-driven resolution would ban state income tax

January 7, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) By William Williams Created 01/13/2011 – 12:48pm A majority of both the House and Senate signed up to sponsor a resolution introduced Thursday to amend the Tennessee constitution to ban the state income tax. “If this amendment passes, Tennessee will never face an income tax battle again,” said the Senate’s main […]

The Commerical Appeal: Reliance on sales tax causes an imbalance

January 7, 2013

(PDF of Original Post) Tennesseans should tell their legislators they’re against a prohibition on state income tax because it ensures the highest earners pay the most. By Erica Thomas, Special to Viewpoint Thursday, March 10, 2011 How we fund our state government — and who pays for it — are key concerns for all Tennesseans. […]

Argus Leader: A lose-lose situation

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) Karen Kraut • April 25, 2010 Imagine this: Your state has the option of reducing its residents’ combined federal tax bills by hundreds of millions of dollars a year while at the same time substantially reducing state taxes for 80 percent of its residents, but it chooses not to do […]

Columbia Free Times: Study Says State Tax System Unfair

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) by : Al Dozier A new study showing South Carolina’s tax system weighs more heavily on the poor and middle class than the rich is unlikely to spark any restructuring of the state’s tax system, according to local advocates for change. That conclusion comes even as a new study panel, […]

The Times and Democrat: Taxation impact to be considered on all levels

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) Monday, November 30, 2009 ISSUE: S.C. taxes OUR VIEW: Impact across the spectrum must be considered Talk of tax reform is an annual event ahead of the Legislature’s return in January. Gov. Mark Sanford has consistently called for lowering the income tax by increasing the tax on cigarettes. He will […]

The State: Study- Middle incomes hit hard

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) S.C. taxes favor wealthy, group says By GINA SMITH [email protected] South Carolina’s tax code hits middle-income and low-income families much harder than the wealthy, according to a new study released Thursday by S.C. Fair Share. The Columbia-based nonpartisan organization hopes its findings will be considered by lawmakers as they head […]

Providence Business News: Study: R.I. taxes take most from poorest

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) Published online Nov 24, 2009 Study: R.I. taxes take most from poorest Poor pay 11.9% of income; offsets cut richest’s share to 5.6% By Ted Nesi PBN Web Editor PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s poorest residents pay more than double the amount of taxes that the state’s wealthiest residents do as […]

The Providence Journal: Details of new state budget seep out

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) PROVIDENCE –– The General Assembly on Wednesday is expected to unveil a state budget that hikes Rhode Island’s gasoline tax, tightens pension rules for state workers and teachers and eliminates certain tax breaks for high earners. But the legislature’s spending plan for the coming year –– still under negotiation as […]

The Providence Journal: Study suggests eliminating R.I.’s capital gains tax break

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) 01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, March 21, 2009 By NEIL DOWNING Journal Staff Writer Rhode Island could save more than $49 million a year by eliminating the favorable tax treatment that the state currently allows on capital gains, a new report says. Rhode Island is one of only nine states […]

Providence Business News: Op-Ed: Governor’s plan is irresponsible

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) Guest Column: Jeff McLynch In recent remarks, first to a gathering of the nation’s mayors and then again before a collection of governors from across the country, President Barack Obama issued stern warnings to local officials about the use of the billions of dollars in federal stimulus funds they are […]

The Providence Journal: Protect income-tax progressivity in R.I.

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) 01:00 AM EST on Sunday, November 16, 2008JEFF McLYNCH WASHINGTON IT ISN’T VERY OFTEN that one of life’s maxims can be applied to state tax policy. Many hands make for . . . a lot of exemptions? A penny saved is a penny . . . deducted? Yet, judging from […]

The Providence Journal: Some tax exemptions in other states border on ludicrous

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) By RANDAL EDGAR Journal State House Bureau The tone was somewhat glum as the Poverty Institute held its annual state budget conference on Friday, in anticipation of Governor Chafee’s budget address this week, but there were some moments of levity. One came during a presentation by Meg Wieghe, of the […]

The Providence Journal: Sowing ideas for revising the corporate tax

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) 01:00 AM EST on Saturday, March 5, 2011 By Neil Downing Journal Staff Writer Tyler Young, a farmer in Little Compton, says taxing farms and other small businesses fairly, based on their ability to pay, will help ensure their survival. Tyler Young’s family farm is spread across 180 acres off […]

WPRI: Why Chafee’s sales tax plan had fair-weather friends

January 7, 2013

(PDF of the Original Post) April 18th, 2011 at 10:55 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi’s Notes Governor Chafee’s original sales tax plan may be gone, but it’s not forgotten. One of the problems the proposal ran into was that it had many critics and few defenders. Take The Poverty Institute, which advocates on behalf […]