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706 posts
Recent Tax Cuts Have Expanded Inequality in the States
• By Jon Whiten
Some states have improved tax equity by raising new revenue from the well-off and creating or expanding refundable tax credits for low- and moderate-income families in recent years. Others, however, have gone the opposite direction, pushing through deep and damaging tax cuts that disproportionately help the rich. Many of these negative developments are quantified in […]
State Rundown 3/6: Tax Cuts Aren’t Forever, or for Evers
• By ITEP Staff
Anti-tax interests finally found the end of the tax cutting appetite in a few states this week...
Tax Cuts Fail Again in Kansas and Wisconsin; Lawmakers Should Pivot to Proven Investments
• By Neva Butkus
The governors of both Kansas and Wisconsin recently stood up to legislators who tried to push through costly tax cuts that would overwhelmingly benefit the most well-off. Lawmakers in those states and others should shift their focus from expensive, top-heavy tax cuts to tried and true policies that help middle-class and low-income families.
Moving the Needle Toward Tax Fairness in the States
• By Jon Whiten
While many state lawmakers have spent the past few years debating deep and damaging tax cuts that disproportionately help the rich, more forward-thinking lawmakers have improved tax equity by raising new revenue from the well-off and creating or expanding refundable tax credits for low- and moderate-income families.
State Rundown 2/28: States Keep Busy While Washington Stalls
• By ITEP Staff
State legislative sessions are in full swing with New Jersey and Oklahoma both particularly active this week...
State Rundown 2/22: Some Top-Heavy Tax Cut Proposals are Getting the Chop
• By ITEP Staff
With many state legislatures now in full swing with activity heating up, some tax cut proposals have lost steam...
The ‘Low-Tax’ Lie: States Hyped for Low Taxes Usually Only Low-Tax for the Rich
• By Jon Whiten
It’s hard to go a week without seeing a politician or a news article hype up a state as the place that everyone is moving to – or should move to – because of low taxes. However, there’s a big problem with these proclamations: they aren’t true.
State Rundown 2/14: Our Love Language is Taxes
• By ITEP Staff
As many of you may know, we love taxes, along with the many great things they provide for our communities...
State Rundown 2/8: Flowers, Chocolates, and Tax Cuts for the Wealthy?
• By ITEP Staff
While we were hoping to get progressive tax policy wins for Valentine’s Day, many state lawmakers have another idea in mind...
State Rundown 2/1: Black History Month Begins as Tax Debates Heat Up Nationwide
• By ITEP Staff
This week the showdown between the Kansas legislature and governor continued as Gov. Kelly vetoed the legislature’s latest attempt to pass a flat personal income tax. Elsewhere, the focus is on doing more for working families through proposals to expand refundable credits in Maryland and adding a millionaire tax bracket in Rhode Island. Meanwhile, there’s […]
State Rundown 1/26: Wealth Taxes Drawing Interest Early in Legislative Sessions
• By ITEP Staff
Bills are moving and state legislative sessions are picking up across the country, giving elected officials the opportunity to consider two distinct paths when it comes to tax policy...
New Mexico Making Tremendous Progress Making Taxes Less Regressive
• By Carl Davis
Recent tax reforms have helped to bring greater balance to New Mexico's tax code. A new in-depth look at taxes in all 50 states finds New Mexico is an emerging leader, though there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
Latest Kansas Tax Plan Would Provide an Estimated $875,000 Tax Cut to Charles Koch
• By Carl Davis, Neva Butkus
Last week, both houses of the Kansas legislature approved a significant tax cut centered around replacing the state’s graduated rate income tax structure with a flat tax instead. The bulk of this would flow to upper-income families, mostly through lowering the state’s top income tax rate from 5.7 to 5.25 percent. This tax cut would […]
How the Fairness of State Tax Codes Affects Public Education
• By Carl Davis
The findings of Who Pays? go a long way toward explaining why so many states are failing to raise the amount of revenue needed to provide full and robust support for our public schools.
State Rundown 1/18: State Tax Priorities Taking Shape in 2024
• By ITEP Staff
Tax policy themes have begun to crop up in states as governors give their yearly addresses and legislators lay out their plans for the 2024 legislative season...
Worthwhile Ideas for a Stronger and Fairer D.C. Tax Code
• By Andrew Boardman, Kamolika Das, Marco Guzman
The nation’s capital has a once-in-a-decade opportunity to advance a stronger and fairer local tax code. New draft recommendations from a key advisory panel will help leaders make the most of the moment.
State Rundown 1/11: Sounding the Alarm on Regressive State & Local Tax Codes
• By ITEP Staff
States got a wake-up call this week as ITEP released the latest edition of our flagship Who Pays? report...
In Most States, the Tax Code Makes Inequality Worse
• By Carl Davis
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
• By ITEP Staff
The year may be new, but state lawmakers seem to have the same old resolution: slashing state income taxes...
State Rundown 12/14: Tax Policy Debates Ramp Up for 2024
• By ITEP Staff
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 […]
State Rundown 11/29: Thankful for Good Tax Policy
• By ITEP Staff
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
• 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.
Abortion-Restricting States Skimp on Funding for Children
• By Amy Hanauer
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
• 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
• 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...
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