Blog
1,395 posts
State Rundown 4/20: New Tax Changes in Full Bloom
• By ITEP Staff
This Spring looks to be bringing a mix of showers and flowers as states around the nation continue to act on a range of tax proposals...
Some Lawmakers Continue to Mythologize Income Tax Elimination Despite Widespread Opposition
• By Kamolika Das
One of the most surprising trends this legislative session is that conservative leaders and the business community joined with progressive advocates to oppose income tax repeal plans. There is a general consensus that income tax repeal is a step too far.
Cannabis Taxes Outraised Alcohol by 20 Percent in States with Legal Sales Last Year
• By Carl Davis
In 2021, the 11 states that allowed legal sales within their borders raised nearly $3 billion in cannabis excise tax revenue, an increase of 33 percent compared to a year earlier. While the tax remains a small part of state budgets, it’s beginning to eclipse other “sin taxes” that states have long had on the books.
Public Problems Demand Public Solutions
• By Amy Hanauer
Long-term troubles for this country and this planet now demand our attention. Progressive tax policy would transform our ability to tackle them.
State Rundown 4/13: Recent State Budgets Prove Not All Tax Cuts are the Same
• By ITEP Staff
Two prominent blue states made headlines this past week when they passed budget agreements that include relief for taxpayers, and fortunately, the budget plans don’t include costly tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy...
State Rundown 4/6: Late-Session Surprises Pt. 2
• By ITEP Staff
Last week we highlighted how several states were pushing through regressive tax cuts as their legislative sessions are coming to a close. Well, this week many of those same states took further actions on those bills and it’s safe to say we’re even less impressed than before...
President Biden’s Proposed Billionaires’ Minimum Income Tax Would Ensure the Wealthiest Pay a Reasonable Amount of Income Tax
• By Steve Wamhoff
The Billionaires’ Minimum Income Tax included in President Biden's budget plan would limit an unfair tax break for capital gains income and complement proposals the president has offered previously to limit other tax breaks for capital gains.
Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns About the President Billionaires’ Minimum Income Tax
• By Steve Wamhoff
Find the answers to some frequently asked questions about President Biden's Billionaires’ Minimum Income Tax, which would limit very wealthy individuals’ ability to put off paying income taxes on capital gains until they sell assets.
Punitive Fines and Fees Are an Invisible Cost of State Tax Cuts
• By Jenice R. Robinson
The deck is stacked against those who have the least, and ongoing racism makes it even more difficult for people of color to avoid punitive systems that are intentionally structured to extract what, for poor people, can be usurious penalties. The nation collectively shrugs about such injustices because they are either invisible or we chalk up entanglements in any legal morass to personal behavior. But the truth is that, indirectly, we are all part of…
Racial Discrimination in Home Appraisals Is a Problem That’s Now Getting Federal Attention
• By Brakeyshia Samms
With both assessments and appraisals being unfair, homeowners of color are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to determining the worth of what is, for most homeowners, their most valuable asset.
State Rundown 3/30: Late-Session Surprises Leave Us Unimpressed
• By ITEP Staff
Several states have dropped a few late-session surprises, and from the looks of it, they’re not the good kind...
New ITEP Report Explains How the Biden Administration Can Act on Its Own to Fix Our Tax Code
• By Steve Wamhoff
The Biden administration should revise regulations from the TCJA to enforce the law as it was written and passed by Congress, not as big banks and multinational corporations have lobbied for it to be enforced.
Excess Profits Tax Proposals Meet the Moment, But Lawmakers Should Keep Their Eye on Fundamentally Fixing Our Corporate Tax
• By Steve Wamhoff
New corporate tax proposals address the current situation, but ultimately leaders in Washington must fix federal law to tax all corporate profits and stop the tax dodging that is rampant today.
Women’s History Month is a Reminder that Sensible Tax Policy is Central to Women’s Economic Security
• By Brakeyshia Samms
Women’s History Month is a chance to remember what happens for women when tax policy becomes more progressive, boosts income, and helps make raising a family more affordable.
State Rundown 3/23: Spring Brings More Tax Happenings
• By ITEP Staff
Spring is around the corner and like those pesky allergies that come along with it, equally pesky tax proposals continue to pop up in states across the U.S....
Arizona Ruling Preserves High-Income Interests Over Education Investments, Popular Vote
• By Marco Guzman
An Arizona court decision delivered an unfortunate blow to voters and those in the state who favor a progressive, adequate tax system that can fund critical priorities including K-12 education.
State Rundown 3/16: The Scramble to Curb Rising Gas Prices is On
• By ITEP Staff
Rising gas prices have lawmakers around the country searching for ways to ease the pressure on consumers and almost half the states are considering reducing or temporarily repealing their gas tax, but another idea is taking hold...
State Gas Tax Holidays are Nothing to Celebrate
• By Carl Davis
It’s unlikely that state gas tax holidays will meaningfully benefit consumers, and they come with risks for states’ infrastructure quality.
What We Can Learn Today from the American Rescue Plan – and Sen. Rick Scott’s Proposed Tax Increases
• By Steve Wamhoff
The success of the American Rescue Plan Act is worth revisiting today. Instead of pursuing Sen. Rick Scott’s agenda of making life more difficult for those already working the hardest, Congress should extend or make permanent some of the beneficial policies in ARPA.
State Rundown 3/9: One State Stands Out Amid the Avalanche of Tax Cuts
• By ITEP Staff
The avalanche of regressive tax-cut proposals coming out of state legislatures has not slowed over the course of the winter months, but one state has provided a shot of hope to advocates of tax equity...
A Better Alternative: New Mexico Prioritizes Targeted, Temporary Tax Cuts
• By Marco Guzman
New Mexico stands in stark contrast to the many examples of poorly targeted tax-cut proposals currently being considered around the country.
Reality Check: Drastic Income Tax Cuts Are Dangerous Despite What Anti-Tax Supporters Say
• By Brakeyshia Samms
Income taxes are the backbone of most state budgets, but you wouldn't gather this fact based on the current trend to cut or eliminate them. A recent, cheerful Wall Street Journal op-ed from anti-government advocate Grover Norquist offers a clear sign that tax-cutting states are taking the wrong approach. The long-time proponent of anti-tax pledges wrote favorably about the legislative and gubernatorial plans to cut income tax cuts across the country. As usual, he failed…
State Rundown 3/2: State Tax News When You Need It
• By ITEP Staff
ITEP is happy to announce the launch of our new State Tax Watch page, where you can find out about the most up-to-date tax proposals and permanent legislative changes happening across the country...
SOTU and GOP Response Highlight Dramatic Difference in Parties’ Tax Policy Approach
• By Aidan Davis, ITEP Staff, Jenice R. Robinson
Since last year, multiple states across the country have proposed or are pursuing costly income and other tax cuts that are heavily tilted toward the highest-income households. State advocates have worked to beat back these proposals and sounded the alarm about the long-term consequences of tax cuts, but legislatures (most GOP-led) continue to introduce and approve top-heavy and permanent tax cuts. This state tax-cut fervor took center stage last night when Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa…
Taxes Should be Part of the State of the Union Agenda
• By Amy Hanauer
President Biden should elevate his tax and revenue proposals which remain essential if we are to pay for environmental restoration, health priorities and peacekeeping, the front-burner items that may dominate the speech.
Blog Categories
Institute on Taxation
and Economic Policy
ITEP is a non-profit, non-partisan tax policy organization. We conduct rigorous analyses of tax and economic proposals and provide data-driven recommendations to shape equitable and sustainable tax systems.
Subscribe to ITEP Emails
Tax research and policy news in your inbox.
Promote Fair Tax Policy
Your gift to ITEP promotes tax justice. With your help, we do research that supports taxing millionaires and billionaires, taxing big corporations and raising revenue for the things our people, our communities and our planet need.
Together, we can create a country with more economic justice, more racial justice, more climate justice… and more tax justice.