Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Mansion Global: Massachusetts Weighs Mansion Tax on $1 Million-Plus Homes

May 9, 2024

Massachusetts could join the growing number of cities and states with a mansion tax on high-value properties, as it considers a proposal to levy an additional transfer fee on commercial and residential sales above $1 million. Read more.

Economic Policy Institute: The Evolution of the Southern Economic Development Strategy

May 6, 2024

The Southern economic development model has failed to create shared prosperity in the region. In fact, this model was deliberately designed to do the opposite—to extract the labor of Black and brown Southerners as cheaply as possible. This report examines the racist roots of the model and provides the necessary context to challenge the enduring […]

The tax law signed by former President Trump in 2017 has slashed taxes for America’s largest, most profitable corporations, a new analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows.

USA Today: Are California’s Taxes Really That High? Not If You’re of ‘Modest Means,’ Report Says

May 1, 2024

Whether it be that all Californians surf, live by the beach or only vote blue, there are a lot of assumptions about residents of the Golden State. Yet a new report is challenging one of the most widely held belief – that Californians shoulder the nation’s highest tax burdens. Read more.

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ITEP Comment on Proposed IRS Rule REG-123376-22

April 26, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

ITEP Comment on Proposed IRS Rule REG-123376-22

Increased information transfer from the IRS would improve the quality of data at the Census Bureau and expand opportunities for tax policy research. This is critical for researchers who rely on Census Bureau data and products to fill the informational gaps present in tax data. 

Sacramento Bee: Is California Really a High-Tax State? New Findings Question That Claim

April 25, 2024

Maybe California is not such a high tax state after all — at least for lower income families. “For families of modest means, California is not a high tax state,” says a new study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal Washington research group. Read more.  

OpenSky Policy Institute: Modeling Details How Amended Tax Package Would Impact Nebraskans

April 18, 2024

Most Nebraskans who claim the state income tax credit on property taxes paid to public schools will see little change in what they pay resulting from the tax package to be debated today, the final day of the Legislative session. But for Nebraska’s lowest-income earners – households making less than $30,000 annually – the impact of […]

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Black Women Best Framework Points the Way to Equitable and Just State Tax Reform

April 18, 2024

States and localities can realize more equitable, thriving economies by proactively addressing the historical marginalization and persistent exploitation of Black women through their revenue policies. State tax policy is not race-neutral but rather functions as a support system that upholds whiteness in politics and prosperity. Applying the Black Women Best framework — an economic principle that argues […]

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The Case for More Progressive State and Local Tax Systems, in Charts

April 17, 2024 • By Dylan Grundman O'Neill, Eli Byerly-Duke

The Case for More Progressive State and Local Tax Systems, in Charts

In a new chart book, Fairness Matters, we further explore our Who Pays? data with new graphics that reinforce the findings in the main report and demonstrate how state-level tax decisions shape economic divides for better and worse.

Audio: ITEP’s Joe Hughes on the Need for a Well-Funded IRS

April 12, 2024

ITEP Federal Policy Analyst Joe Hughes appeared on the Oregon Center for Public Policy’s “Policy for the People” podcast, discussing IRS funding and Direct File.

Mother Jones: America’s 806 Billionaires Are Now Richer Than Half the Population Combined—a Lot Richer

April 11, 2024

Are you better off now than you were when Donald Trump was president? That’s a dumb question for Republicans to pose, because the answer by most measures would be, “Oh, heck yes!” But plenty of people feel otherwise, either because they are down a right-wing rabbit hole or because the poorer half of the population wasn’t doing […]

These Three Local EITCs Are Boosting Family Incomes at Tax Time

This tax season more than 800,000 households in New York City, Maryland's Montgomery County, and San Francisco are set to receive a boost through local refundable EITCs. These credits put dollars directly into the pockets of low-income households, equipping families with resources to better make ends meet and invest in their futures. In turn, they can help build stronger, fairer, and more resilient communities.

Oregon Center for Public Policy: Complete Reporting Would Make It Hard for Corporations to Hide Profits Overseas

April 10, 2024

Oregon can clamp down on multinational corporations shifting profits overseas, create a more level playing field for Oregon businesses, and raise millions in revenue by enacting “Complete Reporting” by large corporations. That law would make it difficult for multinational corporations to avoid Oregon corporate income taxes by artificially shifting profits earned in Oregon to subsidiaries […]

ITEP’s Miles Trinidad Testifies Against Weakening Hawai’i’s Estate Tax

April 9, 2024

HB 2653 would only exacerbate the regressive nature of Hawai’i’s state and local tax system and compound the preferential treatment of income derived from wealth.

Video: Rep. David Trone Discusses Corporate Tax Avoidance at House Budget Committee Hearing

April 1, 2024

His remarks were at a March 21, 2024 House Budget Committee hearing on President Biden’s proposed budget.

Biden Is Right: Corporate Tax Avoidance Has Big Problems That We Can Fix

Sensible reforms to the corporate tax system can help both crack down on corporate tax avoidance and ensure companies that are flourishing are paying their share for the public infrastructure that forms the building blocks of their success.

The Estate Tax Should Help to Level the Playing Field. Instead it’s Letting the Rich Get Richer.

The federal estate tax should ensure that family dynasties who’ve amassed enormous fortunes pay their fair share in taxes. But because policymakers have repeatedly doubled and tripled the immense sums that can be passed on before the tax kicks in, the estate tax today affects almost no one.

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States Move to Tax the Top in 2024

March 20, 2024 • By Marco Guzman, Miles Trinidad

States Move to Tax the Top in 2024

These forward-thinking states are demonstrating the wide variety of options for policymakers who want to raise more from the wealthiest people, rein in corporate tax avoidance, create fair tax codes and build strong communities.  

Contact: Jon Whiten ([email protected]) Chicago voters will on Tuesday decide whether to levy a higher real estate transfer tax on properties sold for more than $1 million to help fight homelessness. Regardless of the outcome in the Windy City, these “mansion taxes” are increasingly popular with local policymakers who are seeking innovative and progressive ways […]

Vermont Lt. Gov David Zuckerman: Fair Share

March 14, 2024

Today, I have an exceptionally important topic to talk about: taxes! Taxes have become a dirty word, and in many ways for good reason. Since the 1980’s there has been a significant shift in how much everyday people pay in taxes. Wealthy and high-income individuals have seen their marginal tax rates drop precipitously, while working […]

ITEP Statement & Resources: Tax Fairness and The State of the Union

When it comes to tax fairness, President Biden has a clear and compelling vision. Make large, profitable corporations and the wealthy pay their share, reduce taxes on low-income and working families with robust refundable tax credits, and use the trillions of dollars in new resources to create the kind of America we all want to see.

The White House Fact Sheet: President Biden Is Fighting to Reduce the Deficit, Cut Taxes for Working Families, and Invest in America by Making Big Corporations and the Wealthy Pay Their Fair Share

March 7, 2024

President Biden is fighting to make the tax system fairer while Republicans continue to push tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations. The President’s plan delivers tax cuts for families with children and working Americans, invests in America, and reduces deficits by trillions of dollars by enacting a new billionaire minimum tax and cracking […]

Washington Post: Biden: Ban Deductions for Firms Paying Executives More Than $1 Million

March 7, 2024

President Biden will call for blocking corporations from deducting the costs of paying salaries over $1 million from their federal taxes in Thursday night’s State of the Union address, part of populist-oriented tax proposals in the speech as the 2024 campaign kicks off in earnest. Read more.