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The House’s Debt Ceiling Smoke Screen: The GOP Budget Plan Gives Cover for Tax Cuts for the Rich
• By Joe Hughes
While it isn’t reasonable in the first place for Congress to debate whether it will pay the bills it has already incurred, some of the same lawmakers who are holding the economy hostage to exact budget cuts have decided to make the conversation even more irrational by proposing to increase deficits with tax cuts that enrich the already rich.
Congress Should Raise Taxes on the Rich, But That’s a Totally Separate Issue from the Debt Ceiling
• By Steve Wamhoff
Congress absolutely should raise taxes on the rich and on corporations to generate revenue and improve the fairness of our tax code. President Biden has several proposals to do exactly that. But this is an entirely separate question from whether we should raise the debt ceiling to honor the debts the nation has already incurred and avoid an economic apocalypse.
Minnesota Poised to Enact Landmark Loophole-Closing Corporate Tax Reforms
• By Matthew Gardner
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.
State Rundown 5/3: Policy Debates Unfold from Capitol to Capital
• By ITEP Staff
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...
The GOP is Finally Ready to Raise Taxes. (Or, When a Tax Hike is Not a Tax Hike.)
• By Joe Hughes
House Republicans recently voted to rescind the green energy and electric vehicle tax credits that were enacted last Congress as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. This newfound willingness to raise taxes stands in contrast to the recent position of almost the entire House Republican Caucus.
Minnesota Lawmakers Re-Envision State Tax System to Center Equity
• By Neva Butkus
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.
Taxes Save Babies’ Lives
• By Amy Hanauer
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.
Kansas Avoids Flat Tax Proposal: Narrow Victory a Cautionary Tale for Other States
• By Brakeyshia Samms
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.
State Rundown 4/27: Health, Wealth, and State Tax Policy
• By ITEP Staff
This week the importance of state tax policy is center stage once again...
Racial Justice Requires Tax Justice: Our Analysis Helps Deliver Both
• By Amy Hanauer
ITEP’s analytical approach, our comprehensive microsimulation model, and our unique state-level capacities enable us to do pioneering analyses that enrich the debate on racial justice in tax policy that no other entity can do.
State Rundown 4/19: Revenue Discussions Heat Up Like the Temperature
• By ITEP Staff
Tax season has ended for most filers, but the topic remains a hot one in states around the country...
Why is My Refund So Much Smaller This Year? Only the Good (Tax Credits) Die Young.
• By Joe Hughes
This year millions of American families are finding that their refunds are much smaller than last year—or that they even owe taxes back to the government—because of the expiration of the expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit that were in effect in 2021. The lapse of the expanded credits affects a majority of the middle class, but lower-income households are particularly likely to feel the sting.
We Can Create a Fair, Feminist Tax Code
• By Amy Hanauer
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.
State Rundown 4/12: Tax Day 2023 – A Good Reminder of the Impact of Our Collective Investments
• By ITEP Staff
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...
Deep Public Investment Changes Lives, Yet Too Many States Continue to Seek Tax Cuts
• By Aidan Davis
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.
8 Things to Know About State Taxes
• By Jon Whiten
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 […]
State Rundown 4/6: More SALT, Please
• By ITEP Staff
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...
It’s the Revenue Shortfall, Stupid
• By Joe Hughes
Lawmakers have repeatedly stepped on the same rake of slashing tax rates and expecting revenues to magically go up. Now they want middle-class Americans to be the ones who get hit in the face. The con is getting tired. If Congress wants to reel in the debt then it’s time to raise taxes on the wealthy.
Minnesota’s Tax Code Should Be Based on Ability to Pay, Not Year of Birth
• By Carl Davis, Eli Byerly-Duke
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.
State Rundown 3/30: A Win for Tax Equity in The Evergreen State
• By ITEP Staff
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...
Better Local Tax Policy Can Help Communities Thrive
• By Kamolika Das
From dedicating new taxes to fund climate action and public health to vacancy and “mansion” taxes, many local leaders are already exploring ways to make their tax systems more progressive and sustainable. ITEP is committed to helping local leaders and advocates build on this work by advancing knowledge about local tax solutions.
Race-Conscious Tax Policy Discourse is Shifting the Conversation About the Tax Code
• By Brakeyshia Samms
As we look ahead to what comes next in our journey to a more race-conscious tax policy debate, it’s worth reflecting on how we got here and what we’ve learned along the way.
State Rundown 3/23: A Spring Awakening of Tax Proposals
• By ITEP Staff
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.
States Prioritize Old Over Young in Push for Larger Senior Tax Subsidies
• By Carl Davis, Eli Byerly-Duke
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.
State Rundown 3/15: Tax Madness
• By ITEP Staff
It’s March and state lawmakers are showing why the Madness isn’t only reserved for the basketball court...
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