Blog - State Policy
651 posts
National Sausage Month isn’t until October, but now is the time of year when state lawmakers are really diving into their sausage-making processes, as separate legislative houses and oftentimes political parties send competing bills, budgets, and visions back and forth to grind out their differences.
Pioneer Institute Criticizes ITEP For Not Writing the Paper They Would Have Written
February 25, 2026 • By Eli Byerly-Duke
Voters, lawmakers, researchers, and advocates frequently disagree about ideal tax policy. But the facts here speak for themselves.
Homes in Black neighborhoods are more likely to be over-assessed for tax purposes while being undervalued by private appraisers.
State Rundown 2/19: Necktie (NCTI) Offers a Way Out of a Knotty Situation
February 19, 2026 • By ITEP Staff
State lawmakers are grappling with a range of challenges as their fiscal outlooks deteriorate, federal tax enforcement wanes (after the Trump administration cut the IRS workforce by 25 percent), and a rewritten federal tax code sends states scrambling to decide what changes they might want to make in their own codes.
NCTI is an Important Part of the Federal Corporate Tax. States Should Adopt It Too.
February 12, 2026 • By Carl Davis
Including NCTI in state corporate tax law is an effective way to neutralize much of the tax avoidance that occurs when multinational companies artificially shift their profits into overseas tax havens.
State Rundown 2/11: This Valentine’s Day, Conscious Decoupling Is Our Love Language
February 11, 2026 • By ITEP Staff
While some may be excited for a romantic Valentine’s Day this weekend, many state lawmakers are breaking up and decoupling from recent federal tax changes that are poised to leave states with revenue shortfalls – much like a bad date who forgets their wallet and asks you to pick up the tab.
What Did 2025 State Tax Changes Mean for Racial and Economic Equity?
February 9, 2026 • By Brakeyshia Samms
The results are a mixed bag, with some states enacting promising policies that will improve tax equity and others going in the opposite direction.
D.C.’s Fiscal Autonomy is at Stake, District’s Conformity Decisions Should Stand
February 6, 2026 • By Kamolika Das
Federal lawmakers passed a bill along party lines that would force the District of Columbia to override the decision of local elected officials and implement all of the costly and inequitable federal tax cuts passed under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA).
Despite wintry conditions across much of the country, that hasn’t stopped state lawmakers from debating major tax policy changes.
Trust Reform is Needed to Protect States, Especially in the Wake of IRS Enforcement Cuts
February 3, 2026 • By Sarah Austin
Trust use is widespread among the wealthiest households, with reports showing that roughly half of the nation’s wealthiest people rely on trusts for tax avoidance reasons
An Anti-Affordability Agenda: Trump’s Advisors Call on States to Raise Taxes on the Working Class and Drastically Cut Taxes for the Rich
January 29, 2026 • By Carl Davis
The Trump administration’s Council of Economic Advisors suggests that states consider drastically raising sales taxes and using those new revenues to pay for repealing taxes on corporate and personal income. Working-class families would face dramatic tax increases while the nation’s wealthiest families would see their state tax bills plummet.
As state legislative sessions ramp up across the country, property taxes are one of many issues dominating tax policy conversations in statehouses.
State Rundown 1/22: Cautious Tone Noticeable in Most Statehouses
January 22, 2026 • By ITEP Staff
Most states are adopting a very cautious approach so far this year as legislators begin their sessions and governors make their annual addresses, thanks to ongoing economic uncertainty and federal retrenchment.
States Can Push Back Against Reckless Federal Tax Policy. Here’s How.
January 22, 2026 • By Aidan Davis, Wesley Tharpe
They should take steps to protect and boost their own revenues. And they should take a second look at their own tax cuts.
State Rundown 1/14: New Year Brings New Resolutions for Funding Key Priorities
January 14, 2026 • By ITEP Staff
State governors are beginning to lay out their top priorities as legislatures reconvene in statehouses around the country.
Curbing Tax Deductions for Executive Pay is a Federal Tax Change States Should Get Behind
January 9, 2026 • By Matthew Gardner
This provision in last summer’s tax law could actually make budget-balancing a little bit easier for states if they follow suit.
Show Me Where We’re Going: Missouri’s Fiscally Irresponsible Path Will Be Paid for by Everyday People
January 8, 2026 • By Logan Liguore
Missouri lawmakers have been pushing regressive and shortsighted tax policies that undermine everyday workers and sabotage the Show-Me State’s ability to raise revenue.
State Rundown 1/7: New Year, New Opportunities for Progressive Revenue
January 7, 2026 • By ITEP Staff
As we kick off a new year, several states are facing revenue shortfalls. Some lawmakers are approaching the challenge with sustainable and equitable solutions.
Pennsylvania Just Gave Low-Income Workers a Tax Credit Boost. Now It’s Philadelphia’s Turn.
December 30, 2025 • By Kamolika Das
In the same way states are building upon federal tax credits, localities should consider building on state tax credits.
From Congressional discussions over the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" to debates on property taxes, ITEP kept busy this year analyzing tax proposals and showing Americans across the country how tax decisions affect them.
States Can Create or Expand Refundable Credits by Taxing Wealth, Addressing Federal Conformity
December 19, 2025 • By Zachary Sarver
Many states already recognize the potential of these credits to boost low- and moderate-income households. Other states should follow suit.
Texas Property Tax Plan Mimics California’s Damaging Prop 13
December 19, 2025 • By Neva Butkus, Rita Jefferson
This proposal would disrupt the state’s housing market and jeopardize local revenues while doing very little to help workers and families struggling to pay their property tax bills – just as Prop 13 did in California.
State Rundown 12/17: Tax Policy ‘Naughty or Nice’ List Has Late Entrants
December 17, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
With a little over a week left, some states are solidifying their spots on the tax policy “naughty or nice” list.
No, Scott Bessent: States Aren’t Taking Away Anyone’s Tax Cuts
December 11, 2025 • By Nick Johnson
It’s wildly inappropriate for a U.S. Treasury Secretary to lean on states to adopt or not adopt specific federal provisions in their own state tax codes.
property tax debates are taking place throughout the nation.
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