Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

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1,405 posts
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2026 Sessions in Review: States Fund Tax Credits by Preserving, Raising Revenue

• By Aidan Davis

In a year of cautious uncertainty around current and ongoing revenues, many state lawmakers strengthened their tax credits for families and children.

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America at 250: It’s Time for a Tax Code That Lives Up to Our Ideals

• By Brakeyshia Samms

After 250 years, our leaders must show a commitment to completing the unfinished work of American democracy.

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New EU Disclosure Requirements Are Helping Identify Corporate Tax Avoiders

• By Matthew Gardner

Microsoft reports a huge share of its worldwide profit in low-tax Ireland and is achieving this despite having a very small share of its employees there. As other companies make similar disclosures between now and the end of calendar year 2026, investors and the public will likely get a much clearer sense of how much profit corporations are hiding offshore—and how much tax they’re avoiding by doing so.

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2026 Sessions in Review: States Move to Tax the Rich and Corporations

• By Aidan Davis

This year several states raised income tax rates on high-income people to fund crucial services and make progress toward remedying the regressive tilt of their tax codes.

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A Year Later, Many States Have Decided Not to Double Down on Trump’s Tax Cuts

• By Nick Johnson

Nearly one year after the Trump tax law was signed, many of the 42 states with income taxes are declining to incorporate significant parts of the new law into their own tax codes.

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State Rundown 6/25: Trending This Summer? New Revenue!

• By ITEP Staff

It's the first official week of summer, and while many of us are planning vacations, state lawmakers remain busy finalizing and debating tax proposals.

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Why Corporations Must Pay More

• By Steve Wamhoff, Amy Hanauer

Corporate tax reforms could be more resilient than proposals to tax wealth or unrealized capital gains while achieving the same goal of more adequately taxing the income of billionaires.

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Celebrate Juneteenth With Tax Justice for All

• By Brakeyshia Samms

If Juneteenth is to mean anything beyond symbolism, it must also be a call to confront the policies that continue to shape racial inequities today. One of the most powerful drivers of that inequity is our tax system.

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Rhode Island Budget Bets on Tax Fairness with Millionaires’ Tax and New Child Tax Credit

• By Miles Trinidad

The spending plan, signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee today, features a new millionaires’ tax, the state’s first permanent child tax credit, expanded eligibility for its Social Security exemption , and strategic decoupling from federal business tax provisions.

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The Final Frontier of Tax Avoidance: Elon Musk’s SpaceX Has $1.9 Billion to Gain from Defunding the IRS

• By Matthew Gardner

A year after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut a swath of destruction through vital federal agencies including the Internal Revenue Service, Musk’s apparent antipathy toward the IRS suddenly makes more sense.  

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State Rundown 6/11: Taxing the Rich Heats Up

• By ITEP Staff

As we head into summer, many state legislatures are in the final stretches of their sessions. Rhode Island moved another step closer to joining the ranks of Washington, Maine, and Hawai’i in enacting a new high-income surcharge this year.

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A Growing Number of States Are Taxing the Sale of Advertising

• By Nick Johnson

ITEP’s report on taxing advertising identifies some reasons why states are curtailing longstanding sales tax exemptions for the ad sector.

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How To Build A Better City Budget

• By Rita Jefferson

As rising costs strain our community and household budgets, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s proposed taxes attempted to patch gaping holes with meager solutions.

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States Are Standing Up to the Monster Known as QSBS

• By Nick Johnson

We estimate that by 2032, QSBS will be costing states $1.1 billion a year, and since states must balance their budgets, that’s money they can’t use for public services.

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States Can Raise Billions by Ending a Tax Giveaway to Big Tech

• By Nick Johnson

An advertising tax offers a way to raise significant money from a sector of the economy that has been getting a free ride for decades.

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State Rundown 6/4: Fiscal Flowers and Weeds Bloom in June

• By ITEP Staff

A veritable superbloom of tax and budget policies occurred over these last few weeks, including both flowers worth admiring and weeds worth fighting back.

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Repealing North Carolina’s Corporate Tax is an Even Worse Idea Than You Think

• By Carl Davis

North Carolina’s corporate tax cuts aren’t an incentive for economic growth. They’re a windfall for multinational companies that happen to sell into our state, regardless of whether they’ve made any meaningful investments here or not.

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NYC and Montana Lead the Way on Second-Home Taxes

• By Rita Jefferson

Second home taxes make a lot of sense for communities struggling with housing costs for full-time residents. They can raise real revenues too, which can be used to support further affordable housing development.

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Major Oil and Gas Corporations Pay Little in U.S. Tax

• By Claire Lynch

The oil and gas industry has long been known for widespread tax avoidance. Now, thanks to new disclosure rules, we have a better picture of how this occurs.

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As Inequality Grows, More States Look to Tax the Rich

• By Alex Welch

From surcharges on the income of high-earners to higher taxes on second homes, here are recent steps states have taken to tax the rich.

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Jeff Bezos’ Amazon Received Almost 10 Percent of Corporate Tax Subsidies Last Year

• By Matthew Gardner, Steve Wamhoff

Amazon received $17.5 billion in tax subsidies in 2025. That’s about 10% of all federal income tax subsidies for publicly traded corporations in 2025.

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State Rundown 5/21: A Flurry of Tax Decisions as Legislatures Wrap

• By ITEP Staff

As more legislative sessions come to an end, states are making final decisions on tax and budget policies.

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High Gas Prices Weigh on Americans as Summer Travel Season Begins

• By Carl Davis

As of May 19, Americans have already spent $39 billion more for motor fuel (both gasoline and diesel) because of the Iran War. This number is growing by the day.

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State Rundown 5/14: Fund Priorities or Increase Shortfalls?

• By ITEP Staff

As many legislative sessions end, lawmakers are revealing their priorities.

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The Bears Bill Is Bad by Design. Here’s How.

• By Rita Jefferson, Amanda Kass, Kristan Wong Karinen

State lawmakers are debating whether to subsidize a new Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights, but this bill creates a new statewide property tax cut program for large development projects.