Budget
IRS Cuts Could Cruise on Autopilot; New Bill Aims to Restore Funding to Help Taxpayers and Fight Tax Cheats
• By Sarah C. G. Christopherson
This fall, Congress could allow billions of dollars in IRS funding to disappear on autopilot. However, the Stop CHEATERS Act would restore the multi-year mandatory funding rescinded from the IRA and account for recent cuts to the IRS’s base budget.
State Tax Expenditures Deserve a Closer Look
• By Brooklyn Ramirez
As many states enter a new fiscal year this month, it’s an ideal time to take a closer look at a major but often overlooked category of government spending: tax expenditures. To make these programs easier to explore and compare, ITEP has updated its state-by-state tax expenditure reports resource.
2026 Sessions in Review: States Move to Tax the Rich and Corporations
• By Aidan Davis
This year several states raised income tax rates on high-income people to fund crucial services and make progress toward remedying the regressive tilt of their tax codes.
A Year Later, Many States Have Decided Not to Double Down on Trump’s Tax Cuts
• By Nick Johnson
Nearly one year after the Trump tax law was signed, many of the 42 states with income taxes are declining to incorporate significant parts of the new law into their own tax codes.
How To Build A Better City Budget
• By Rita Jefferson
As rising costs strain our community and household budgets, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s proposed taxes attempted to patch gaping holes with meager solutions.
State Rundown 2/5: Icy Roads Do Not Slow Tax Policy Debates
• By ITEP Staff
Despite wintry conditions across much of the country, that hasn’t stopped state lawmakers from debating major tax policy changes.
State Rundown 1/28: State Tax Cutting Plans Face Scrutiny
• By ITEP Staff
As state legislative sessions ramp up across the country, property taxes are one of many issues dominating tax policy conversations in statehouses.
Local Tax Trends in 2025
• By Rita Jefferson
As federal aid ends and economic uncertainty grows, local governments face tough budget choices. Now is the time for localities to protect vulnerable residents and build stronger, more equitable fiscal foundations.
It’s the Revenue Shortfall, Stupid
• By Joe Hughes
Lawmakers have repeatedly stepped on the same rake of slashing tax rates and expecting revenues to magically go up. Now they want middle-class Americans to be the ones who get hit in the face. The con is getting tired. If Congress wants to reel in the debt then it’s time to raise taxes on the wealthy.
Revenue-Raising Proposals in President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Plan
• By Steve Wamhoff
President Biden’s latest budget proposal includes trillions of dollars of new revenue that would be paid by the richest Americans, both directly through increases in personal income, Medicare and estate taxes, and indirectly through increases in corporate income taxes.
Revenue-Raising Proposals in President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Plan
• By Steve Wamhoff
President Biden's latest budget plan includes proposals that would raise $2.5 trillion in new revenue. While many of these reforms appeared in his previous budget, some of them are brand new, such as his proposal to prevent basis-shifting in partnerships and his Billionaires Minimum Income Tax.
President Trump’s 2021 Budget: Promises Made, Promises Broken
• By Steve Wamhoff
President Trump has kept only one of his promises--his pledge to lower taxes for corporations and their investors. The budget plan he released today again breaks his promise to reject cuts in Medicaid that would affect millions of people. His budget once again fails to eliminate the deficit, much the less the national debt, during his presidency as he promised. It cuts trillions from safety net programs and student aid programs despite his pledge…
Trump Tax Cuts Likely Make U.S. Corporate Tax Level Lowest Among Developed Countries
• By Richard Phillips
U.S. corporate tax collection was equal to 2.2 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016, significantly less than the average 2.9 percent collected by the other 34 other OECD countries for which data were available.
The U.S. Is One of the Least Taxed Developed Countries
• By Richard Phillips
The most recent data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) show that the United States is one of the least taxed of the developed nations.
Passing the Buck: Forcing Spending Cuts through a Balanced Budget Amendment
• By Ronald Mak
House leaders are preparing a vote on a balanced budget amendment next week that could force massive spending cuts and restrict the ability of lawmakers to raise revenue. Although a balanced budget amendment will likely be pitched as a way to address our nation’s long-term fiscal challenges, such proposals are economically harmful, ineffective, and one-sided.
GOP Dilemma: Love the Tax Cut, Hate the Agency that Administers It
• By Matthew Gardner
The president’s budget proposal would cut the agency’s baseline funding from $12 billion to $11.1 billion this year. This is almost a quarter less, in inflation-adjusted terms, than the $14.4 billion the agency received in fiscal year 2010. Not surprisingly, the long, steady decline of IRS funding during this period has led to a reduction in staffing: the agency’s 2016 employee total of 77,000 was 17,000 lower than at the beginning of the decade.
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