Neva Butkus
Senior Analyst
Born and raised in a working-class community outside of Chicago, Neva has witnessed firsthand the impacts on a community when policymakers prioritize the wealthy and corporations in state and local tax policy. As a Senior Analyst at ITEP since 2021, Neva now supports researchers and advocates in their fight for equitable and adequate state tax systems through policy analysis, research and collaboration. Prior to ITEP, Neva was a Senior Policy Analyst at the Louisiana Budget Project where her research and advocacy included issues of corporate tax policy, working family tax credits, unemployment insurance, and K-12 finance policy.
Neva holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from Louisiana State University. She resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
neva at itep.orgRecent Publications and Posts view more
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A Windfall for the Wealthy: A Distributional Analysis of Mississippi HB 1
Mississippi lawmakers have approved the most radical and costly change to the state’s personal income tax system to date. House Bill 1 ultimately eliminates the state's personal income tax and cuts state revenues by nearly $2.7 billion a year when fully implemented. This deeply regressive legislation will create a windfall for the wealthiest residents of the poorest state in the nation while simultaneously jeopardizing the state’s ability to fund public services that support Mississippians and the state’s economy.
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Celebrating 50 Years of the Earned Income Tax Credit
This week, we celebrate 50 years of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the impact it's had on millions of workers and families. In 2023 alone, the latest year of available data, the federal EITC alongside the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit lifted 6.4 million people and 3.4 million children out of poverty.
Media Mentions view more
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Associated Press: Mississippi and Kentucky Aim to End Personal Income Taxes
About 45 years have passed since a U.S. state last eliminated its income tax on wages and salaries. But with…
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Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Governor Signs Income Tax Elimination Bill. How Are You Affected?
With a stroke of a pen, and a few light-hearted jokes, the Build Up Mississippi Act, the largest total tax cut in state history was signed into law on March 27.