Blog - State Policy
615 posts
State Rundown 1/11: Sounding the Alarm on Regressive State & Local Tax Codes
January 11, 2024 • By ITEP Staff
States got a wake-up call this week as ITEP released the latest edition of our flagship Who Pays? report...
The vast majority of state and local tax systems are upside-down, with the wealthy paying a far lesser share of their income in taxes than low- and middle-income families. Yet a few states have made strides to buck that trend and have tax codes that are somewhat progressive and therefore do not worsen inequality.
State Rundown 1/4: New Year, New Opportunities, Same Tax Cut Proposals
January 4, 2024 • By ITEP Staff
The year may be new, but state lawmakers seem to have the same old resolution: slashing state income taxes...
Even as revenue collections slow in many states, some are starting the push for 2024 tax cuts early. For instance, policymakers in Georgia and Utah are already making the case for deeper income tax cuts. Meanwhile, Arizona lawmakers are now facing a significant deficit, the consequence of their recent top-heavy tax cuts. There is another […]
Though Turkey Day has passed, lawmakers in states across the U.S. have yet to get their fill of delicious tax policy goodness...
Hidden in Plain Sight: Race and Tax Policy in 2023 State Legislative Sessions
November 21, 2023 • By Brakeyshia Samms
Race was front and center in a lot of state policy debates this year, from battles over what’s being taught in schools to disagreements over new voting laws. Less visible, but also extremely important, were the racial implications of tax policy changes. What states accomplished this year – both good and bad – will acutely affect people and families of color.
States differ dramatically in how much they allow families to make choices about whether and when to have children and how much support they provide when families do. But there is a clear pattern: the states that compel childbirth spend less to help children once they are born.
State Rundown 11/8: Election Results Bring Victories, Opportunities for More Common-Sense Tax Reform
November 8, 2023 • By ITEP Staff
Voters had the chance to impact tax policy across the country on election day, and some chose to enact common-sense reforms to raise revenue...
State Rundown 10/26: Off-Year Ballot Measures and State & Local Tax Policy
October 26, 2023 • By ITEP Staff
November elections are creeping closer and closer and while that typically means a new batch of lawmakers are elected, it also means voters have another chance to help shape state and local tax policy...
2023’s State and Local Tax Ballot Measures: Voters to Weigh in on Property Taxes, Wealth Taxes, and More
October 24, 2023 • By Jon Whiten
Even in this slow year for candidate elections, the decisions that voters in states and cities make could strengthen or weaken revenue for needs in their communities and could change how taxes are distributed across the income spectrum. In the places where tax fairness is on the ballot, much is at stake.
Eliminating Indiana’s Income Tax Would Jeopardize Public Services & Create a Windfall for the Well-Off
October 19, 2023 • By Neva Butkus
Meaningful investments in Indiana’s future require a smart, and fair, tax code that recognizes current economic realities and can raise a sustainable stream of funding from those most able to pay.
State Rundown 10/12: Tax Policy Debates Don’t Just Happen in the Statehouse
October 12, 2023 • By ITEP Staff
It may be the off-season for state legislatures, but tax policy changes could soon emerge from the ballot box or the courts. Advocates in Arkansas want voters to decide the future of taxing diapers and feminine hygiene products, and supporters of public education in Nebraska are working to make sure voters have a say on the state’s school choice tax credit. Meanwhile, cannabis firms in Missouri are suing the state over cities and counties stacking sales tax on marijuana.
State Rundown 9/27: Some States are Looking to Paint the Budgets Red
September 27, 2023 • By ITEP Staff
When it comes to investments, state lawmakers across the country are positioning their states to be in the red as they pass or debate further tax cuts that will overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy – and some states are now adding an additional coat of red paint...
The U.S. Census Bureau released its annual assessment of poverty in America this week...
State Tax Credits Have Transformative Power to Improve Economic Security
September 12, 2023 • By Aidan Davis
The latest analysis from the U.S. Census Bureau provides an important reminder of the compelling link between public investments and families’ economic well-being. Policy decisions can drastically reduce poverty and improve family economic stability for low- and middle-income families alike, as today’s data release shows.
How to Better Tax the Rich Men North (and South) of Richmond
September 7, 2023 • By Amy Hanauer
When you examine tax policy through the lens of how much working (and poor) people are taxed compared to rich men north (and south) of Richmond, it’s hard not to take Oliver Anthony's runaway hit as a jumping off point to amplify some important facts.
While a number of state tax laws are debated, approved, and vetoed in any given year, many go unnoticed...
State Rundown 8/10: Pump the ‘Breaks’ on Sales Tax Holiday Celebrations
August 10, 2023 • By ITEP Staff
August is here, school is starting, and with that comes back to school shopping...
A Lot for A Little: Gimmicky Sales Tax Holidays Are an Ineffective Substitute for Real Sales Tax Reform
August 3, 2023 • By Marco Guzman
This year, 19 states will forgo a combined $1.6 billion in tax revenue on sales tax holidays—politically popular, yet ultimately ineffective gimmicks with minimal benefits and significant downsides.
The Dog Days of summer are upon us, and with most states out of session and extreme heat waves making their way across the country, it’s a perfect time to sit back and catch up on all your favorite state tax happenings (ideally with a cool drink in hand)...
Most state legislatures have adjourned for 2023, and that means it’s a perfect time to look at the tax policy trends that have formed thus far...
Nearly one-third of states took steps to improve their tax systems this year by investing in people through refundable tax credits, and in a few notable cases by raising revenue from those most able to pay. But another third of states lost ground, continuing a trend of permanent tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit high-income households and make tax codes less adequate and equitable.
State lawmakers continue to make groundbreaking progress on state tax credits, with 17 states creating or enhancing Child Tax Credits or Earned Income Tax Credits so far this year. These policies have the potential to boost family economic security and dramatically reduce the number of children living below the poverty line.
Minnesota’s Tax Battle of 2023 Signals a Turning of the Tide Against Corporate Tax Avoidance
July 7, 2023 • By Matthew Gardner
The qualified success of Minnesota’s GILTI conformity—to say nothing of the state’s serious dalliance with the game-changing worldwide combined reporting--sends a clear signal that the days may be coming to an end when big multinationals can scare state lawmakers into allowing them to game the tax system.
State Rundown 7/6: Tax Policy Keeping Governors Busy from Coast to Coast
July 6, 2023 • By ITEP Staff
From coast to coast, state governors have been busy inking their signature on a growing list of consequential budget and tax bills...
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.