Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Citations

ITEP's Citations Research Priorities

To prioritize Idaho businesses and protect revenue for public services, the Center recommends remaining decoupled from (1) bonus depreciation, and decoupling from (2) qualified production property deduction, (3) research and experimentation (R&E) cost recovery, (4) relaxed interest deductibility cap, and (5) deduction of foreign derived intangible income. Read more.

Normally, when individuals sell stock, they must pay capital gains taxes on any profit they’ve made. But donors who gift their stock to an SGO wouldn’t have to pay capital gains taxes on any increase in the stock’s value, and they would still get the generous dollar-for-dollar tax credit, yielding a personal profit for themselves.

Every year, Idaho spends millions of tax dollars to make sure families receive a good education, live in safe homes and communities, and enjoy good health. However, over the last several years, the state has passed deep and costly tax rate cuts that make our tax system more regressive- disproportionately burdening Idahoans with the lowest incomes. House Bill 40 continues to perpetuate this trend by providing relief disproportionately to wealthy households.

Every year, Idaho tax dollars are spent to ensure families receive a good education, live in safe communities, experience good health, and drive on safe roads. However, over the past four years, lawmakers have passed deep and costly tax cuts and reforms. These cuts were made in response to temporary budget surpluses that were largely driven by federal pandemic relief, but they have long term consequences. The changes to Idaho’s tax code —which are permanent and tilted toward wealthy households and corporations — weaken state revenues by growing amounts over time, limiting the state’s ability to maintain support for schools…

Audio: ITEP’s Carl Davis Discusses Idaho’s Regressive Tax System

January 30, 2024

Idaho has the 36th most regressive tax system in the nation, according to a new study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The Who Pays report says that low- and middle-income families in Idaho pay more in taxes than the wealthy, and the institute also says that disparity has only gotten worse over the last five years. May Roberts, Policy Analyst at the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy, and Carl Davis, Research Director at the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, joined Idaho Matters to break down the study.

Idaho Statesman: A Warning About Cutting Taxes in States Like Idaho That are Flush with Cash

January 27, 2023

During his State of the State address this year, Idaho Gov. Brad Little quoted Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke’s piece of ranch family wisdom. “It won’t be the bad years that put you out of business; it’s what you did in the good years that sets you up for failure or success.” Flush with cash, too […]

State surpluses and strong revenue growth are leaving many states with a big opportunity this year. Idaho is no exception and is faced with options to advance policies that directly improve people’s lives in education, health care, housing, child care, transportation, and other budget areas. A 2022 Special Legislative Session bill that reduces taxes and […]

The tax cuts proposed in HB 436 would benefit wealthy Idahoans the most. The bill would also collapse the state’s five tax brackets to four, and would lower the income tax rate on the wealthiest tax bracket from 6.5% to 6%. Read more

From housing to child care, hard-working Idaho families face high costs in our growing state. Since 2018, Idaho’s tax code has supported families through the state Child Tax Credit (CTC). In the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Congress approved a temporary change to expand the definition of “child” to include 17-year-olds in tax year 2021. […]

Idaho Press-Tribune: Who gets rebates, tax cuts under House bill

January 20, 2022

Idaho’s corporate income tax rate is a single rate of 6.5%; the bill would lower it to 6%. Necochea called that “throwing money out of the state,” citing figures from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimating that 81% of the benefit from that cut would flow out of state. “Corporate owners can live […]

Quad City Times: Record $600M Idaho tax cut clears House, heads to Senate

January 20, 2022

An analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan tax policy organization based in Washington, D.C., found that the total tax benefits of the package for a person in the top 1% of Idaho income earners making $557,000 or more annually would benefit by $13,254. Read more

Bloomberg: SALT Debate Forces Rich Americans to Confront Widening Tax Gap

December 10, 2021

Lawmakers in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio and Oklahoma have also approved cuts to their top personal income tax going into effect either this year or in future years. “There are states moving in different directions,” said Carl Davis, research director at the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. […]

House Bill 389 is a complicated bill that would affect many different components of the Idaho property tax statute. Revenue from property taxes, both for real property and business personal property, support local public services – such as roads, courts, and schools. Property taxes are regressive, meaning they fall harder on lower-income Idahoans than others. […]

Bonners Ferry Herald: House Bill 380 Could be a Double Hit to Revenue and Federal Fiscal Aid (Idaho)

April 29, 2021

House Bill 380 – which would reduce the number of income tax brackets from seven to five, reduce the remaining income and corporate tax rates as well as provide a one-time tax rebate – could cost between $383 million and $398 million in its first year (fiscal year 2022) and $163 million to $171 million […]

The Idaho Legislature is considering a proposal that would reduce the number of income tax brackets from seven to five, cut income and corporate tax rates and provide a one-time tax rebate. HB380 is a revised version of HB332, with one significant change, the elimination of two tax brackets, which serves to make Idaho’s tax […]

The Idaho Legislature is considering a proposal that would cut income and corporate tax rates and provide a one-time tax rebate. Under the proposal, the tax benefits from this proposed legislation are heavily lopsided. Taking all provisions into account, households with very modest earnings would receive a $78 average tax cut, and the top 1 […]

Marketplace: High-income taxpayers help some states stay above water

March 1, 2021

However, in 22 states, tax revenue actually increased, with revenue in four states — Idaho, Utah, South Dakota and Colorado — up more than 5%. Revenue fell in the remaining states, with seven down more than 10% —Texas, Oregon, Florida, Nevada, North Dakota, Hawaii and Alaska. This disparity has a lot to do with the […]

KTVB.com: Idaho Democratic leaders discuss their top priorities for the 2020 legislative session

January 12, 2020

The “circuit breaker” would protect seniors and low income homeowners from paying too high of a percentage of their income on property taxes. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a “circuit breaker” protects taxpayers from property tax overload just like an electric circuit breaker. It kicks in when a property tax bill […]

The biggest drivers of the inequality in Idaho are the sales and property taxes. In every bracket of income measured by the Institute’s report, the amount that families paid in state and excise taxes went down as their total income increased. The lowest-earning 20 percent spent twice as much of their annual income on property taxes as the highest 20 percent, with an average of 3.3 percent paid on their property compared to 1.6 percent.

Low-income Idahoans were hit hardest by property and sales taxes, ITEP reported. The lowest-earning segment spent 3.3 percent of income on property tax and 6 percent of income on sales and excise taxes (the latter are sometimes known as “sin taxes”).

KTVB: Idaho Tax Analysis

October 20, 2018 • By ITEP Staff

Study finds lower income Idahoans paying higher tax rates than those with higher incomes.

This guide provides a brief summary of proposed tax changes put forth by the candidates. Estimates of the distributional impact on Idaho taxpayers and state revenue and provided by the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy.

Politifact: The Facts Behind Trump’s Jabs at Amazon on Taxes, USPS and Lost Retail Jobs

March 30, 2018

Amazon paid $957 million in income tax in 2017, according to regulatory filings. Amazon paid nothing in federal taxes this year thanks to tax credits and, in large part, Trump’s new tax law. But the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that Amazon is either not collecting local taxes or is charging a lower […]

Fortune: President Trump Claims Amazon Pays “Little or No Taxes.” Here’s Where He’s Wrong

March 30, 2018

Where Trump is correct: Amazon doesn’t collect taxes on behalf of third-party vendors, and it still may not collect some local taxes, giving it an advantage over some traditional retailers, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a think tank. According to an analysis from the ITEP, the gap between the tax rate […]

Bloomberg Law: Trump’s Amazon Tweet Comes at Eventful Time for State-Local Taxes

March 30, 2018

Meanwhile, Amazon may not be paying its share of local sales taxes. A report released March 26 by the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said Amazon either doesn’t collect and remit local sales tax or is charging a lower sales tax rate than traditional retailers in seven states: Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, […]