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Colorado Voters Ditch Flat Tax, Opt to Tax the Rich and Corporations
• By Aidan Davis, Dylan Grundman O'Neill
Colorado voters approved Amendment 87, also known as Initiative 195, which will give the vast majority of Coloradans an income tax cut. Only households in the richest 5 percent will pay more. The state will raise approximately $2 billion a year in new revenue to fund K-12 education, healthcare, and childcare.
Utah Latest State to Make Headway Against Montana Car-Registration Tax Dodge
• By Eli Byerly-Duke
Car owners from around the country have for years tried to avoid paying their fees and taxes by titling their cars in Montana under a shell company to avoid sales taxes and fees in their state of residence.
Let Them Eat Cheesecake: Federal Tax Breaks for Restaurant Chains Encourage Low Pay and Low Corporate Tax Rates
• By Matthew Gardner
Six restaurant companies – Cheesecake Factory, Brinker (the parent company of Chili’s), Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden), Bloomin’ Brands (Outback Steakhouse), Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, and Texas Roadhouse – collectively disclosed $2.5 billion of U.S. profits last year on which they paid tax rates averaging 5.4 percent, far below the statutory 21 percent.
When Did Your State Enact a Child Tax Credit?
• By Neva Butkus
The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is an important tool to fight child poverty and help families make ends meet. When designed well, it can also make tax systems less regressive. As of 2020, only six states had CTCs. Today, 15 states have CTCs, with many credits exceeding $1,000 per qualifying child.
State Rundown 11/5: Election Day Put Taxes on the Ballot
• By ITEP Staff
While voters delivered an historic rebuke of the economic and tax policies of the Trump administration as affordability concerns became a flashpoint, voters also decided on major tax ballot questions that will raise and protect revenue and do more to tax the rich in Washington, California, and Colorado.
Voters Pass Ballot Measures to Raise and Protect Revenue, Tax the Rich
• By Aidan Davis, Jon Whiten
Voters in states across the country on Tuesday passed critical ballot measures to raise and protect revenue and increase tax fairness. In three of four cases, voters showed their support for taxing the rich.
After Trump Tax Cuts, Major Corporations Pay Less than Ever
• By Amy Hanauer
Who bears the cost of these giant companies paying such a pittance? The American people.
114 Profitable Corporations Paid Zero Federal Income Tax in 2025
• By ITEP Staff
There were 114 corporations that paid no federal income tax in 2025. That includes well-known companies like Tesla, Walt Disney, CVS, Citigroup, United Airlines, Palantir, and DoorDash.
Bigger Corporations, Bigger Tax Breaks: Consolidation Leads Six Corporations to Grab a Giant Share of Subsidies
• By Matthew Gardner
Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta and J.P. Morgan Chase collectively raked in 42 percent of the total tax subsidies that 706 profitable U.S. corporations received in 2025.
ITEP Comment on Citizenship Question Update to IRS Form 1040
• By Jessica Vela, Steve Wamhoff
Here is a public comment submitted to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on October 26, 2026 on a proposal to add a citizenship question to the main federal personal income tax form, Form 1040.
State Rundown 10/22: Despite Obstacles, Progressive Taxes Define 2026
• By ITEP Staff
As more states move to raise revenue and tax the rich, anti-tax lobbyists and lawmakers are hard at work to undo that progress. Despite pushback, important conversations around needed revenue continue.
Testimony: ITEP’s Nick Johnson weighs in on revenue options for the District of Columbia
• By Nick Johnson
A D.C. Business Activity Tax, or BAT, meets commonly held standards for sound tax policy.
State Rundown 10/8: Ballot Debates and Gas Tax Promises Accelerate as Election Day Nears
• By ITEP Staff
As the Iran War continues to cause gas prices to rise across the country, lawmakers are stepping on the accelerator instead of pumping the brakes on costly and ineffective proposals to suspend the gas tax ahead of the November election.
ITEP Comment on Tax Credit Restrictions for Immigrants
• By Carl Davis, Emma Sifre
This proposal would bar a variety of immigrant tax filers from receiving the refunded portion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), and Adoption Tax Credit.
New State Taxes on the Wealthy Raise Revenue and Rebalance Tax Codes, Advancing Racial Justice
• By Brakeyshia Samms
Taxing the rich is proven fiscal policy – it raises revenue for vital public services and makes tax codes fairer. But a part of the debate that rarely gets enough attention: taxing the rich is also one of the most effective tools available for advancing racial equity.
Trump’s Invasion of Iran Could Cost You Thousands
• By Amy Hanauer
Higher fuel and food prices are on track to cost the average household over $1,300 by the end of the year.
Meta’s Outlandish Tax Breaks for AI Data Centers
• By Steve Wamhoff
Meta is claiming the research tax credit – a tax break meant to encourage innovation and experimentation – to pay for the equipment it uses in data centers to power its AI activities. ITEP described how Meta paid just 3.5% of its profits in federal corporate income taxes in 2025.
Tallying Up the Impact of Florida’s Property Tax Ballot Measure on Local Communities
• By Neva Butkus
Florida voters will soon vote on Amendment 3, which would create a pathway for non-school property tax elimination in the state. If passed, the measure would cost local governments $13.7 billion in the first two years alone.
California’s Prop 40: Responses to Common Objections
• By Brian Galle, David Gamage, Darien Shankse
Proposition 40, California’s proposed billionaire tax, is a one-time 5 percent levy that addresses a significant one-time emergency, namely the cuts made to the healthcare system by the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
State Rundown 9/24: States Reckon with Tightening Fiscal Futures
• By ITEP Staff
States across the nation are reckoning with their tightening fiscal futures as inflation and economic woes continue to eat into their budgets.
Big Tech Is Raking in Enormous Tax Breaks for AI Development
• By Matthew Gardner
OBBBA’s expensing provision is becoming especially lucrative for the companies building out AI infrastructure right now. There is no evidence whatsoever that tax breaks are necessary to encourage their construction.
New Census Data Show Importance of Refundable Tax Credits and Need for Improvements
• By Joe Hughes
The Child Tax Credit actually moved fewer children out of poverty in 2025 than it did in 2024 prior to Congress passing the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA).
TurboTax Maker Intuit Paid Zero Federal Income Tax in 2025
• By Joe Hughes
TurboTax maker Intuit reported nearly $6 billion in U.S. profits in 2025 and paid no federal income tax. Instead, the company received a refund, thanks in part to new tax breaks from OBBBA.
State Rundown 9/10: States Brace for (and in Some Cases Embrace) Ballots and Budgets
• By ITEP Staff
States across the country will consider a host of ballot measures that could reshape the fairness and adequacy of their states’ tax systems, while other states are receiving budget forecasts that could further shape upcoming policy debates.
2026 State Tax Ballot Measures to Watch
• By Aidan Davis
This fall, voters across the country will consider a host of ballot measures that could reshape the fairness and adequacy of their states’ tax systems. Here’s some of what we’re following.
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