Lawmakers in Maine this year took bold steps toward making the state’s tax system fairer. Their actions demonstrate that political will can dramatically alter state tax policy landscape to improve economic well-being for low-income families while also ensuring the wealthy pay a fairer share.
ITEP Work in Action
Advocates and policymakers at the state and federal levels rely on ITEP’s analytic capabilities to inform their debates on proposed tax policy changes. In any given year, ITEP fields requests for analyses of policies in 25 or more states. ITEP also works with national partners to provide analyses of federal tax policy proposals. This section highlights reports that use ITEP analyses to make a compelling case for progressive tax reforms.
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ITEP Work in Action September 26, 2019 Maine Reaches Tax Fairness Milestone
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ITEP Work in Action September 4, 2019 MECEP: NEW REPORT: Maine reaches new milestone on the road to tax fairness
Starting in 2020 and for the first time in decades, the Mainers who earn the least will no longer pay a larger share of their income to state and local taxes than those who earn the most, according to a policy brief published today by the Maine Center for Economic Policy.
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ITEP Work in Action August 29, 2019 New Analysis: A Third of NC Taxpayers Won’t Benefit from Proposed Tax Refund Plan
North Carolina Senate and House leaders are moving forward with a flawed proposal to spend the majority of the state’s revenue over collections, more than $600 million, to issue tax refund checks of $125 per taxpayer ($250 for married couples).
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ITEP Work in Action August 8, 2019 Policy Matters Ohio: Ohio Tax Shift Away From the Wealthy: The Pattern Repeats
The main tax measures in Ohio’s new budget bills will bring tax increases on average for lower- and middle-income taxpayers, while those at the top of the income scale on… -
ITEP Work in Action July 16, 2019 CommonWealth: Before the T Derailed, its Funding Got on the Wrong Track
Overall, funding for the Commonwealth during the last two decades has relied increasingly on sales taxes and regressive user fees, while cutting income tax rates. As a result, we have… -
ITEP Work in Action July 11, 2019 Arizona Center for Economic Progress: Using Increased Revenues from Conformity on More Tax Cuts is Fiscally Irresponsible
Arizona Should Use Increased Revenues to Prepare for Next Recession Instead of Giving Tax Cuts While a recession does not appear imminent, the current economic expansion began in June 2009… -
ITEP Work in Action July 3, 2019 The American Prospect: Without Congressional Input, Trump May Further Widen the Gap Between Rich and Poor
“This is just another tax break for rich people,” says Steve Wamhoff, director of federal tax policy at the Institute on Taxation and Economy Policy, who authored a blog post… -
ITEP Work in Action June 4, 2019 Policy Matters Ohio: Refundability Now
The federal credit is so effective that 29 states, including Ohio, have used it as a model for their own EITCs, calculating the state credit’s value as a percentage of the federal one. However, Ohio’s credit leaves out the most important part: refundability.
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ITEP Work in Action May 23, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Impact of the FY 2020-2021 Appropriations and Finance Committee Budget and Revenue Proposals on Children and Families
The report recommends that state legislators and the Governor repeal the state’s Bond Lock, revise the volatility cap, and implement additional tax reforms that begin to correct the state’s regressive… -
ITEP Work in Action May 15, 2019 Policy Matters Ohio: The Good and the Bad in the House Tax Plan
The tax plan approved by the Ohio House last week would sharply limit an income-tax break for business owners that costs more than $1 billion a year while providing few… -
ITEP Work in Action May 10, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Voices from the Capitol: Countdown to the End of the Session
Staff experts from our national partners – Elizabeth McNichol of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Aidan Davis of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy – joined… -
ITEP Work in Action April 26, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Testimony Supporting H.B. No. 7415
Smart state fiscal policies can play a critical role in building strong, equitable state economies. It is time we fix our tax laws to give working people and children a… -
ITEP Work in Action April 15, 2019 Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center: A Fair Share Tax Plan for Pennsylvania — 2019 Update
This paper puts forward the Fair Share Tax plan, a major step toward fixing Pennsylvania’s broken tax system and raising the revenues we need to invest in the public goods… -
ITEP Work in Action April 10, 2019 The DC Line: – David Schwartzman: By Offsetting Federal Tax Cuts Locally, We Can Improve the Quality of Life for All DC Residents
Misha Hill of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) has estimated that the top 20 percent income bracket of DC residents will receive almost $700 million in federal… -
ITEP Work in Action April 10, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Even with Modest Capital Gains Tax, Wealthiest Would Pay Average of $36,000 Less in Taxes After Trump Tax Cuts
Connecticut faces a $4 billion deficit over the Fiscal Years 2020-21 biennial budget. Without adequate revenues, painful budget cuts that could fall heavily on children and families are inevitable. Read… -
ITEP Work in Action April 10, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: A Balanced Approach to Revenues: Ensuring Fairness and Adequacy
As the General Assembly develops its biennial budget facing a $4 billion deficit, Connecticut Voices for Children urges legislators and the Governor to adopt a balanced approach by adopting revenue… -
ITEP Work in Action March 31, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Impact of the Governor’s FY 2020-2021 Budget on Children and Families
Connecticut’s long-term fiscal health and economic growth depend on policies that improve equity and support our most vulnerable families and children. Governor Lamont’s proposed state budget avoids additional major cuts… -
ITEP Work in Action March 31, 2019 Connecticut Voices for Children: Connecticut’s Radical New Budget Rules: Locking in Decreased Investment in our State for the Next Decade
Faced with increasingly difficult decisions in crafting the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018-19 biennial budget, the Connecticut General Assembly found itself at an impasse. In order to break the log jam,… -
ITEP Work in Action March 25, 2019 Policy Matters Ohio: Senate Transportation Budget Zeroes Out Public Transit, Slightly Improves EITC
Last week, the Ohio Senate took a leap backwards by removing $100 million for public transit from the Transportation Budget allocated by the Ohio House of Representatives. They also took… -
ITEP Work in Action March 20, 2019 North Carolina Justice Center: Higher Rates on Higher Income: Why a Graduated Income Tax is Good Policy for North Carolina
At the same time, a graduated rate structure — in contrast with the state’s current flat tax rate on income — can make more revenue available for key public investments,… -
ITEP Work in Action March 15, 2019 State Millionaires’ Taxes Can Advance Racial Justice
Millionaires’ taxes can help address this problem. They can raise substantial revenue for public services by asking more of those at the top, a group that’s disproportionately white. White families are three times likelier than Black and Latinx families to be in the top 1 percent, according to a report by Prosperity Now and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
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ITEP Work in Action March 12, 2019 Policy Matters Ohio: Loopholes Upon Loopholes
As noted, of the three deductions, by far the most taxpayers took advantage of the deduction for self-employment taxes. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which has a model… -
ITEP Work in Action March 5, 2019 Georgia Budget and Policy Institute: Georgia Work Credit Grows the Middle Class
A non-refundable Georgia Work Credit would cut state taxes for more than 700,000 lower and middle-income households by up to $475. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that… -
ITEP Work in Action February 27, 2019 Public News Service: Could Fast-Moving Tax-Cut Proposal Blow WV Budget?
House Bill 3137 would create a fund where new money, including out-of-state online sales taxes, would go. Then, each time that fund reached a certain level, it would trigger compounding… -
ITEP Work in Action February 25, 2019 Chicago Resilient Families Task Force: Big Shoulders, Bold Solutions: Economic Security for Chicagoans
People with low and middle-incomes are financially savvy in ways that are often underestimated, but despite this are on thin ice financially. Despite doing all the right things, they are…