Category: State Policy

June 14, 2023

State Rundown 6/14: Summer Breeze & State Tax Policies

As the sweet days of summer pass, the scent of jasmine isn't the only thing blowing through the minds of state lawmakers, as tax policy discussions remain at the forefront...
Carl Davis
Research Director

June 12, 2023

Illinois Voucher Tax Credits Don’t ‘Invest in Kids,’ They Invest in Inequality

By allowing their school privatization tax credit to expire at the end of the year, Illinois lawmakers can take a meaningful step toward better tax and education policy, and a clear show of support for our nation’s public education system.
June 7, 2023

State Rundown 6/7: The Budget Race Continues

Across the country, the marathon budget season has held pace, with a steady stream of bills continuing to cross the finish line...
Aidan Davis
State Policy Director

June 5, 2023

The Real Impact of State Tax Cuts

This op-ed was originally published by Route Fifty and co-written by ITEP State Director Aidan Davis and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Senior Advisor for State Tax Policy Wesley Tharpe. There’s a troubling trend in state capitols across the country: Some lawmakers are pushing big, permanent tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy and […]
ITEP Staff

June 1, 2023

State Rundown 6/1: State Revenue Highs and Lows

Short-sighted tax cuts continue to make their way to Governors’ desks this week. In Florida, Gov. DeSantis signed a $1.3 billion tax cut package with $550 million of the tax cuts from sales tax holidays, alone. The Nebraska legislature also sent $6.4 billion in tax cuts to Gov. Pillen’s desk which includes an enormous personal income tax cut that will reduce taxes on the top 1 percent by tens of thousands of dollars.
May 24, 2023

State Rundown 5/25: The North Star State Leads the Way on Tax Fairness

As we approach the midpoint of 2023, it’s a good time to look back at the progress states have made in the name of tax fairness and equity...
May 18, 2023

State Rundown 5/18: Credits, Cuts, and Corporate Revenue Raisers

This past week, in statehouses around the country, tax policy decisions are moving fast as budgets were signed and budget plans were released and passed...
Brakeyshia Samms
Senior Analyst

May 11, 2023

States are Talking About the Wrong Kind of Property Tax Cuts

Concerns over property tax affordability have been at the forefront this year as housing prices have climbed and property tax bills have often increased along with them. As lawmakers mull a range of property tax cuts, circuit breakers are the best possible approach—and these policies are receiving far too little attention in the states.
May 10, 2023

State Rundown 5/10: Momentum on State Tax Credits Continues to Build

This week, in states across the country the momentum to center improvements to family economic security remains strong...
Matthew Gardner
Senior Fellow

May 7, 2023

Minnesota Poised to Enact Landmark Loophole-Closing Corporate Tax Reforms

With Minnesota poised to enact worldwide combined reporting of corporate income taxes, business lobbyists are pulling out all the stops to make state lawmakers believe the apocalypse is upon them.
May 3, 2023

State Rundown 5/3: Policy Debates Unfold from Capitol to Capital

While the conversations on the debt ceiling heat up in the nation's capital, debates on state tax policy also continue to unfold in capitol buildings across the nation...
Neva Butkus
Senior Analyst

May 3, 2023

Minnesota Lawmakers Re-Envision State Tax System to Center Equity

Minnesota’s House, Senate and Governor’s office have each proposed their own vision as to how the state should maximize its $17.5 billion surplus and raise new revenue, and these tax plans make one thing clear: Minnesota lawmakers are serious about using tax policy to advance tax equity and improve the lives of Minnesotans.
Amy Hanauer
Executive Director

May 1, 2023

Taxes Save Babies’ Lives

A compelling new examination over multiple years and multiple states found that infants are more likely to survive to age one in states that raise more revenue and raise it from those most able to pay. Generating taxes from rich people and corporations can help babies make it to their first birthday.
Brakeyshia Samms
Senior Analyst

April 27, 2023

Kansas Avoids Flat Tax Proposal: Narrow Victory a Cautionary Tale for Other States

Kansas lawmakers failed to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a damaging flat tax package. In doing so, the state narrowly avoided traveling again down the same disastrous yet well-worn path of deep income tax cuts. States across the country can learn from Kansas’s experience by rethinking tax policy decisions and broader statewide priorities.
April 27, 2023

State Rundown 4/27: Health, Wealth, and State Tax Policy

This week the importance of state tax policy is center stage once again...
April 19, 2023

State Rundown 4/19: Revenue Discussions Heat Up Like the Temperature

Tax season has ended for most filers, but the topic remains a hot one in states around the country...
Amy Hanauer
Executive Director

April 14, 2023

We Can Create a Fair, Feminist Tax Code

Everything! Taxing wealthy people and corporations and using the revenue for paid leave, child care, education, health care and college would transform America for girls and women of every race and family type, in every corner of this country.
April 12, 2023

State Rundown 4/12: Tax Day 2023 – A Good Reminder of the Impact of Our Collective Investments

With Tax Day quickly approaching it’s worth taking some time to reflect not just on tax forms (though those are important!), but also on the current state of state tax policy...
Aidan Davis
State Policy Director

April 12, 2023

Deep Public Investment Changes Lives, Yet Too Many States Continue to Seek Tax Cuts

When state budgets are strong, lawmakers should put those revenues toward building a stronger and more inclusive society for the long haul. Yet, many state lawmakers have made clear that their top priority is repeatedly cutting taxes for the wealthy.
Jon Whiten
Deputy Director

April 12, 2023

8 Things to Know About State Taxes

As Tax Day approaches, it’s worth thinking about not only the taxes that we individually pay but the overall condition of our tax code as well. State tax codes, while perhaps less discussed than the federal system, are critically important. Depending on how they are designed, state taxes can improve or worsen economic and racial […]
April 6, 2023

State Rundown 4/6: More SALT, Please

This week, a bill out of Arkansas that would cut the top personal income tax rate and the corporate income tax rate found its way to the governor’s desk...
Carl Davis
Research Director

March 31, 2023

Minnesota’s Tax Code Should Be Based on Ability to Pay, Not Year of Birth

Minnesota lawmakers are considering a carveout that would treat seniors much more favorably than young families. The proposal would fully exempt all Social Security income from state income tax, even for seniors with exceptionally high incomes.
March 30, 2023

State Rundown 3/30: A Win for Tax Equity in The Evergreen State

Over the past week Washington state saw a major victory for tax fairness after the state Supreme Court held the state’s capital gains tax—passed in 2021—constitutional...
ITEP Staff

March 23, 2023

State Rundown 3/23: A Spring Awakening of Tax Proposals

As nature bursts into life and color with the arrival of spring, state tax proposals are doing the same as the legislative seeds planted by lawmakers earlier this year start to grow, blossom, and in some cases rot. However, some governors are not entirely happy with what state lawmakers have produced.
Carl Davis
Research Director

March 23, 2023

States Prioritize Old Over Young in Push for Larger Senior Tax Subsidies

Under a well-designed income tax based on ability to pay, it is simply not necessary to offer special tax subsidies to older adults but not younger families. At the end of the day, your income tax bill should depend on what you can afford to pay, not the year you were born. It’s really as simple as that.