ITEP Work in Action
Florida Policy Institute: A Working Floridians Tax Rebate for a Stronger and More Equitable Florida
September 24, 2021
Floridians who are paid lower wages spend significantly more of their income on state and local taxes than those with high income. This is because the state lacks a personal income tax and relies mostly on the sales tax to raise revenue. The state’s upside-down tax code also exacerbates racial inequity because Floridians with low […]
Florida Policy Institute: Florida Policymakers Need to Reassess How the Minimum Wage is Enforced
March 4, 2021
Finally, the state budget could take a hit if wage theft persists. Sales tax revenue as an effect of higher minimum wages is particularly relevant to highlight in Florida. The state lacks a personal income tax and over 75 percent of its general revenue fund is comprised of sales tax revenue. General revenue supports critical […]
Florida Policy Institute: State Resolution Could Result in $1.47 Billion in Lost Wages for Young Workers and Foregone Sales Tax Revenue for Florida
March 3, 2021
Florida, lacking a personal income tax, relies on sales tax revenue to support critical areas like education and health and human services. More than 75 percent of Florida’s General Revenue Fund, which finances most of these vital services, is comprised of sales tax revenue. Furthermore, Florida households are the highest contributors to sales tax collections, […]
Florida Policy Institute: 2021 Legislature Must Prioritize Revenue-Raising Solutions, Not Budget Cuts, To Bolster Post-Pandemic Recovery
November 18, 2020
Through smart investments, it is possible to make up billions of dollars without cuts. FPI proposes initiatives to close corporate loopholes such as “combined reporting”— already implemented by 28 states and D.C.— and the “throwback rule”— adopted by 22 states and D.C. — that would generate more than $500 million in general revenue. Read more […]
Florida Policy Institute: Florida Would See an Extra $577 Million in Sales Tax Revenue Under Amendment 2
October 30, 2020
As Florida Policy Institute and many others have demonstrated, gradually increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026 would help lift households out of poverty and reduce pay inequities long experienced by women, people of color, and immigrants. Additionally, a new analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) shows that Amendment 2 […]
Florida Policy Institute: Earned Income Tax Credit Crucial for Working Families
January 31, 2020
State EITCs are better targeted to people with low income than blanket tax exemptions, so they help to reduce the disproportionate impact of sales and excise taxes. According to new data from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a state EITC at 30 percent of the federal credit would reduce the share of income […]
Florida Policy Institute: Amendment 5 Would Lock in the Regressive Policies and Abysmal Funding Levels that Perpetuate Inequality
October 23, 2018
Florida’s unfair tax system, which forces low-income residents to contribute the most as a share of their household incomes, along with the state’s worst-in-the-nation per-person investment in public services, would be locked in under Amendment 5.
Florida Phoenix: New Study Says Florida Has the 3rd Most Unfair State and Local Tax System in US
October 19, 2018
Florida is the third largest state in the country, and according to a new report, has the third-most unfair state and local tax system in the U.S. That data comes from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a nonpartisan, nonprofit tax policy organization.
Florida Policy Institute: Florida Has Third Most Unfair State and Local Tax System
October 17, 2018
Florida’s reputation as a “low-tax” state belies the reality that it is, in fact, a high-tax state for low- and moderate-income residents. Floridians with the lowest incomes — those earning less than $18,700 — contribute 12.7 percent of their incomes to state and local taxes, while the wealthiest top 1 percent — those with incomes of more than $548,700 — contribute just 2.3 percent of their income.
Florida Policy Institute: Dream Act: What’s at Stake for Florida?
December 20, 2017
There are 72,000 young immigrants who were potentially eligible for DACA that call Florida home. They currently contribute a total of $78 million to local and state taxes annually through sales and excise taxes, property taxes and income tax. Read more here
Florida Policy Institute: The Growing Divide: Federal Tax Plan Would Give Massive Tax Cuts to Wealthy Floridians as the Poorest Americans Continue to Struggle
July 21, 2017
The federal tax plan broadly outlined by the current administration would do very little to create opportunities for Floridians struggling to make ends meet. Instead, the tax plan would provide massive tax cuts for Florida’s highest income earners, accordingly to a recent report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). Broadly outlined, the plan is likely to make an already unfair tax system that favors the wealthy even worse.
Florida Policy Institute: New Report Finds Shortcomings in Florida’s Scholarship Tax Credit Program
May 19, 2017
State tax policies are undermining high-quality public education by redirecting public dollars for K-12 education toward private schools via tuition tax credits, according to a new report published by the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and the School Superintendents Association (AASA). In the case of Florida, the scholarship tax credit program failed to […]
Florida Policy Institute: Florida’s Shadow Budget Needs Greater Scrutiny
February 2, 2017
Silent spending, in the form of numerous kinds of tax breaks, costs Florida billions of dollars in lost revenue a year. Unlike money spent through the state budget process, this “shadow budget” is not routinely examined to see if it is meeting worthwhile goals or promoting a stronger economy. This is money that is spent […]
Florida Policy Institute: A Citizens Guide to Florida’s Budget
February 2, 2017
Florida is known worldwide as a vacation destination, but those of us who live here know that the way Florida takes in and spends money affects every aspect of our lives. From now until 2030, people age 60 and older will account for most of Florida’s population growth, representing 56.9 percent of the gains. Adequate […]
Integrity Florida: Subsidizing Corporate Tax Dodgers
April 21, 2015
Thanks to the data provided by CTJ/ITEP, Integrity Florida found that all of the profitable Fortune 500 corporations headquartered in Florida paid state governments in the U.S. on average a lower corporate profits tax rate than Florida’s 5.5 percent rate between 2011 and 2013. Most of these corporations have received taxpayer-funded subsidy deals and government […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: Tax Fairness: An Answer to Florida’s Budget Problems
March 12, 2015
“The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ranks Florida as having the second most unfair (or “regressive”) tax system in the nation. High‐income residents pay a far smaller share of their income in state and local taxes than middle class residents. The high‐income one percent of Floridians pay just 1.9 percent of their income in […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: Poverty Rises in Florida While the State’s Tax System Benefits the Wealthy
January 14, 2013
The number of Floridians living below the federal poverty level increased between 2007 and 2009 by almost 550,000 – equal to the population of the cities of Orlando and Tampa combined. New U.S. Census figures show about 2.7 million Floridians, or 14.9 percent, lived in poverty in 2009, a sharp rise over 2007’s 12.1 percent. […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: Unbalancing Florida’s Tax System: Eliminating Taxes on Wealth Has Shifted the Burden to Other Floridians
January 14, 2013
Florida’s state tax structure has become even more heavily weighted against the poor and middle class, even as the numbers of poor and near-poor Floridians increase and the share of income held by the wealthy continues to rise.1 Choices made by state political leaders and Congress in the last decade have made Florida’s tax structure […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: Florida’s Tax Structure Fails Tests for Fairness, Efficiency and Simplicity
January 14, 2013
Economists, public administration professionals, and governmental experts agree on several requirements for a sound tax system at any level of government. These requirements include adequacy, fairness, efficiency, and simplicity. The National Conference on State Legislatures includes the last three of these in their publication entitled “Principles of a High-Quality State Revenue System.” They did not […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: The Facts About Florida Taxes- Among the Lowest in the Nation
January 14, 2013
The current emphasis in Tallahassee on cutting state taxes obscures important facts about Florida’s state tax system and about choices available to balance the budget and meet the needs of Floridians. When Governor Rick Scott unveils his first budget proposal Monday, it is expected to include a reduction in the corporate income tax rate and […]
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy: Tax Giveaways to Corporations Deserve a Look As Floridians Mark Tax Day
January 14, 2013
“This initial report examines a small portion of the many “economic development incentive” programs funded by the legislature that direct tens of millions of tax dollars each year to corporations under the guise of job creation. Whether the subsidies work often is open to question. Official state reports suggest that half or more of the […]
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