Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

ITEP's Research Priorities

The Seattle Times: Education funding-An income tax would solve this

January 9, 2017

“Congratulations citizens of Washington state [“School-funding task force unlikely to have proposed fixes when Legislature convenes,” NWThursday, Jan. 5]. It is official: According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the state of Washington is now ranked No. 1 for having the most regressive tax system of all 50 states.” Read more

Deseret News: Child tax credit

January 9, 2017

“Also, the increase in income tax for large families would mostly negatively impact lower-income families, who according to an Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy report are already paying a higher percentage of their income for state and local taxes than the upper 20 percent.” Read more

Cincinnati Enquirer: Immigration coalition braces for policy changes

January 9, 2017

“Grayson, the Interfaith Workers Center director, said the coalition needs to try to work to educate the public that attempts at widespread deportations would be costly and harm families and the U.S. economy. A report released in February by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit, non-partisan research organization, calculated that the 11 […]

Patch: Georgia Gas Taxes Edge Up In 2017

January 9, 2017

“In the Peach State, the price of a gallon of of gasoline increased by 0.3 cents on January 1 and the price of a gallon of diesel increased 0.4 cents, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The size of the increase was figured by a new formula approved by Georgia lawmakers that […]

The Topeka Capital-Journal: Eliminating obstacles to tax reform in Kansas

January 5, 2017

“The LLC exemption — which eliminated taxes on pass-through business income and relieved the tax burden for more than 330,000 Kansas business owners — was passed and signed almost half a decade ago. The exemption has cost our state hundreds of millions of dollars since then (the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says it […]

Lancaster Online: Pennsylvania think tanks battle over remedies for $1.7B state budget deficit

January 3, 2017

“The Budget and Policy Center blames the deficit on reductions in corporate taxes enacted under Govs. Ed Rendell and Tom Corbett. The state’s top taxpayers are getting a bargain, the center says: Households in the top 1 percent of the income distribution pay less than half the tax rate of households in the middle.” Read […]

New Jersey Spotlight: Income Inequality and Policy in New Jersey

January 3, 2017

“Some background. The CPBB’s report, “How State Tax Policies Can Stop Increasing Inequality and Start Reducing It,” starts by ranking the various states according the ratio of average income for the top 5 percent of households to the bottom 20 percent, using Census Bureau data. According to this measure, New Jersey ranks seventh most unequal. […]

The Oklahoman: Even gasoline tax may get a look to help deal with Oklahoma budget crunch

January 3, 2017

“Other state legislatures are likely to have similar discussions. Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, tells USA Today that it appears more than a dozen states “will seriously debate gas tax changes next year.” Read more

West Virginia Metro News: West Virginia fuel tax drops on New Year’s, but is it cause to celebrate?

January 3, 2017

“Since 2013, 19 states have made changes to the way their gas tax is calculated, said Carl Davis, research director for The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. There had been years and years and sometimes even procrastination in the states,” said Davis, who studies a variety of issues related to state and federal tax […]

Accounting Today: Voices Immigration reform could help states seeking additional revenues

January 3, 2017

“The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, proposed that state and local governments could significantly increase revenue collection by legalizing undocumented immigrants. A report released in February by ITEP noted that undocumented immigrants collectively pay an estimated $11.64 billion a year. The state of California, home to more than 3 […]

Huffington Post: Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Dwarfed By Estimates Of Need

January 3, 2017

“There are still 20 states that have waited a decade or more since last raising their gas tax rates,” said Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a progressive think tank. “At least a dozen states are going to be discussing gas tax increases next year.” Read more

USA Today: 7 states will have higher gas taxes Jan. 1

December 28, 2016

“Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana and Florida will each see modest gas tax increases of less than a penny per gallon, based on automatic adjustments in those states, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Two states — New York and West Virginia — will have slight reductions based on automatic adjustments, according to […]

Tahlequah Daily: Restoring Earned Income Credit will aid low-income folks

December 23, 2016

“As Walke pointed out, those who qualify must funnel a higher percentage of their yearly wages to income taxes than their well-heeled neighbors. They also pay sales taxes, and in many cases, property taxes. The Oklahoma Policy Institute calculated the numbers, and it said SB 1604 means a single mother with two kids, with a […]

Nassau Herald: Lessons learned about Long Island immigrants

December 23, 2016

“And, according to the FPI, “Like U.S.-born residents, immigrants pay a lot in property taxes.” Seventy-three percent of Long Island immigrants live in owner-occupied homes, and 40 percent of them pay more than $10,000 a year in property taxes to support local schools and services. The FPI could not say precisely how much unauthorized immigrants […]

The Daily Sentinel: Fix online sales tax

December 21, 2016

“Even if the law is a zero-sum proposition, many lawmakers feel there’s an important principle at stake — a level playing field for business. Brick-and-mortar stores located in Colorado are required to collect sales tax. An exception for out-of-state online retailers gives them a competitive advantage. Their customers get a “discount” because a series of […]

Telegram & Gazette: Worcester property tax policy deserves study

December 20, 2016

“Low-income families generally pay a higher percentage of their earnings on state and local taxes. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, for example, said that in 2015, families earning less than $22,000 annually paid 10.4 percent of their income on state and local taxes. Those earning between $22,000 and $44,000 paid 9.3 percent of […]

The Post Script: America’s immigrants get the short end of the stick

December 20, 2016

“Contrary to popular belief, undocumented immigrants pay state and local taxes to the tune of $11.64 billion a year. And it is estimated that around 50 percent of undocumented immigrants file income taxes using an Individual Tax Identification Number, according to a report written in Feb. 2016 from The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. […]

Politifact: Most taxes are lower since Cuomo was elected

December 20, 2016

“Property taxes statewide continue to rise despite a state imposed cap. Most municipalities are not able to raise property taxes more than 2 percent without voter approval. The Department of Budget says the property tax bill for a typical taxpayer is more than the state income tax amount. A report from the Institute on Taxation […]

Financial Times: BlackRock and Franklin Templeton to win big from US tax holiday

December 20, 2016

“Despite the best efforts of Congress to make sure that the last repatriation holiday spurred investment rather than dividends, it didn’t work out,” said Matthew Gardner, senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, who analysed asset managers’ company filings for FTfm. “Cash is fungible and companies are going to do whatever they […]

The Intercept: Apple, Google and Others at Trump Tech Summit Have Stashed $560 Billion in Profits Overseas

December 16, 2016

“The last thing we should be doing is rewarding these bad actors with special tax breaks that are unavailable to the rest of us,” said Matt Garner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. “The critical question to ask about corporate tax reform going forward is how it can stop companies […]

Christian Science Monitor: The peril and promise of Trump’s approach to saving jobs

December 14, 2016

““There’s a crying need for federal oversight” of state economic incentives, Matthew Gardner, senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, writes in an email. “It’s basically a harmful exercise in a lot of cases. Policymakers are often giving away money for free.”” Read More

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Amazon didn’t need Nevada’s handout, expert says

December 13, 2016

“Amazon is now relying on the type of abatement package it received from Nevada, LeRoy said, since the company no longer can avoid collecting sales tax, in general. Although Amazon has operated a warehouse in Nevada since 1999, it started collecting sales tax from online sales in Nevada only in 2014, according to the Institute […]

New York Times: Corporate Welfare Won’t Create Jobs

December 12, 2016

“That loophole, known as deferral, lets corporations avoid paying any United States taxes on their offshore profits until they are brought back here. That’s why, according to a recent survey by tax researchers, Fortune 500 companies are holding nearly $2.5 trillion in profits that are booked offshore, mostly in tax havens, on which no United […]

Twin-Cities Pioneer Press: A practical, tested solution for our undocumented-immigrant puzzle

December 12, 2016

“A mass deportation would have huge, measurable consequences to our economy. For example, according to a study by the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, it would reduce our collective tax revenue as a nation by $12 billion, not to mention the estimated cost, approximately $400 billion, to deport these individuals.” Read More

Tahlequah Daily Press: Earned Income Tax Credit legislation to be filed by NW OKC lawmaker

December 9, 2016

“Because of SB 1604, a single mother with two children and working full-time at $10 an hour will experience a tax increase of $231, and a married couple with three children and earning $20,800 a year will realize a tax hike of $313, the Oklahoma Policy Institute calculated. The average loss will be $91 per […]