ITEP Work in Action
OpenSky Policy Institute: Modeling Details How Amended Tax Package Would Impact Nebraskans
April 18, 2024
Most Nebraskans who claim the state income tax credit on property taxes paid to public schools will see little change in what they pay resulting from the tax package to be debated today, the final day of the Legislative session. But for Nebraska’s lowest-income earners – households making less than $30,000 annually – the impact of […]
OpenSky Policy Institute: Proposed Property Tax Breaks Benefit Wealthy While Restricting School Revenue
May 11, 2023
The Legislature on Wednesday and Thursday will consider property tax breaks and corresponding income tax cuts that together would restrict the revenue that’s available to fund important programs that all Nebraskans rely on for years to come. Read more.
OpenSky Policy Institute Webinar: Data Shows Child Tax Credits Benefit Hardworking Families
March 27, 2023
New evidence on child tax credits at the federal level has shown “stunning” results in lifting children out of poverty throughout the country and a state-level policy could continue that momentum, benefiting a broad range of families, panelists including ITEP State Policy Director Aidan Davis said in a February 8 webinar.
OpenSky Policy Institute: Policy Brief: Consumption Tax
March 3, 2023
The consumption tax proposal in LB 79 would require a rate of 22.1 percent to be revenue neutral, OpenSky analysis conducted with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy finds. This rate is nearly three times greater than what is proposed in the bill. Further, OpenSky estimates that if the consumption tax were to be […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: Major Tax and Education Plans Would Quickly Drain Flush State Coffers
January 23, 2023
The cost of high-profile K-12 finance and tax packages introduced this week would entirely consume the projected $1.9 billion that lawmakers have to enact new legislation in the current two-year budget cycle and then some. Read more.
Open Sky Policy Institute: Most Nebraskans Left Behind by Income Tax Cut Bills
February 4, 2022
Non-Nebraskans, corporations and wealthy residents would be big winners under the latest income tax cuts proposed in in LB 938 and LB 939. Meanwhile, the bills – which would ratchet the state’s top corporate and personal income tax rates to 5.84% over four and three years respectively – offer most Nebraskans little tax savings while depleting revenue needed […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: LB 64: A costly measure that is unlikely to impact retiree migration
May 11, 2021
LB 64, a bill slated for second-round debate on today’s legislative agenda, is a costly measure that would give wealthy retirees a sizable tax break under the premise of keeping them from fleeing to other states. Few retirees, however, are likely to flee regardless of what happens to our tax code and those who do […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: Policy brief — LB 432: A big tax cut for corporations
May 6, 2021
LB 432, which will soon be up for debate on select file, would give a sizable tax cut to corporations and their shareholders. The vast majority of the tax cut would go out of state and the revenue losses created by the bill would threaten services that Nebraskans need. Read more
Open Sky Policy Institute: Policy Brief — LR 11CA presents a dangerous, untested proposal
May 5, 2021
Under the proposed 10.64% tax rate, and with the allowance, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) finds that all income groups would receive a tax cut on average, with the exception of the second-lowest quintile — those with incomes between $24,000 and $38,800 — who would pay 2.4% more of their income in […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: Amid budget woes, plan calls for tax cuts for the wealthy
April 17, 2017
LB 461, the tax-cut package put forth by the Revenue Committee, is first and foremost an income tax cut for wealthy Nebraskans and the proposal does little to truly address property tax relief. In fact, LB 461 is fundamentally flawed in a way that makes it more likely to exacerbate, not help, Nebraska’s reliance on […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: Income tax bills good for wealthy and non-residents
February 16, 2017
Forty percent of Nebraskans would see tax increases under LB 452 Low- and middle-income earners pay more of their incomes in sales taxes than income taxes. This is reflected in Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) data that show LB 452 – which includes a sales tax expansion — would raise taxes on average […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: Some facts about LB 337 — the governor’s tax plan
January 30, 2017
Below are some facts regarding, LB 337, the governor’s income tax cut plan: The example middle-class Nebraska taxpayer used to roll out the plan would not receive a tax cut under LB 337. Once the standard deduction is applied, this taxpayer, who earns $29,831, would not pay the top tax rate on any income, and therefore would […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: Policy brief: More about the gas tax and inflation
October 21, 2015
On average, Nebraskans paid nearly $1,200 more annually for gas per car in 2013 than they did in 1993.However, in 2013, Nebraskans paid just $3 more in state gas taxes per car than they did in 1993, and they actually paid $12 less than they did in 2003. Read full policy brief here
Open Sky Policy Institute: Gas tax and transportation in Nebraska
April 6, 2015
In 2011, the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy (ITEP) published “Building a Better Gas Tax” in which they recommended that states looking to modernize their gas tax increase gas tax rates, restructure state gas taxes so that their rates rise automatically with inflation and create or enhance targeted tax credits for low-income families to […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: Frequently asked questions about LB 280′s impact on taxpayers
March 16, 2015
“All Nebraskans would experience lower property taxes under this proposal, and many residents would pay less in taxes overall. LB 280 makes our tax code more progressive, ensuring that low- and middle-income Nebraskans pay less in overall taxes than our highest-income individuals. While the effects will vary depending on each taxpayer’s income, property value, and […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: LB 357 would lead to budget cuts, benefits top earners
February 19, 2015
LB 357 calls for significant reductions in personal and corporate income tax rates over several years. It also transfers $160 million out of the cash reserve, $80 million to the Property Tax Credit Program and another $80 million to the General Fund to fill in for the loss of income tax revenue in the first […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: ‘Circuit breaker’ in LB 186 provides targeted property tax reductions
January 29, 2015
Property tax “circuit breakers” like the one proposed in LB 186 are a way to provide targeted tax reductions to those whose property taxes are high in relation to their incomes. They are called “circuit breakers” because the tax credits are triggered once property taxes reach a certain percentage of a person’s income, similar to […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: Data show middle class benefit of LB 1097 paltry compared to higher earners
February 18, 2014
While some proponents of LB 1097 – a bill to cut Nebraska’s income taxes – talk about the bill’s benefit to the state’s middle class, a look at the data shows by far the biggest beneficiaries of the cut would be the state’s highest earners. Read the Full Report
Open Sky Policy Institute: Looking for Clarity: An Overview of Nebraska Budget and Tax Policy
February 7, 2014
To help Huskers decode how Nebraska makes budget decisions and creates tax policy, we have created Looking for Clarity: An Overview of Nebraska Budget and Tax Policy. This easy-to-read primer takes the confusion out of Nebraska’s laws and tax codes and distills it into a concise, manageable summary of how Nebraska collects and spends funds. […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: Income tax cut bills would decimate state budget, lead to cuts, property tax hikes
February 6, 2014
A pair of bills to cut income taxes would blow holes in the state budget, aren’t aimed at the middle class and are not likely to grow the economy. Furthermore, the bills — LB 1097 and LB 721 — likely would lead to higher property taxes and cuts to investments in schools and other key […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: Typical family pays less tax in Nebraska than in most similar states
January 24, 2014
Middle-income Nebraskans pay relatively low taxes compared to their counterparts in eight nearby states with similar economies and tax structures. A family earning the median family income in Nebraska ($63,442) would pay less in taxes than a similar family in all but two of these states – Colorado and Kansas. (Table 1) The other comparable […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: “Real Taxpayers of Nebraska” and cutting the top income tax rate
October 17, 2013
In this “Real Taxpayers” infographic, we examine what cutting Nebraska’s top personal income tax rate to 5.75% would mean for our tax payers. The cut would result in a $156 million revenue loss for the state, which is close to the amount of revenue the state would gain under the sales tax base expansion we […]
Open Sky Policy Institute: A golden opportunity for tax changes
September 23, 2013
After analyzing options for tax changes put forth by the Tax Modernization Committee, we believe some present a real opportunity to strengthen Nebraska and its economy. Ideas that the committee will discuss at upcoming public hearings that start Monday in Scottsbluff would bolster investments in education, health care and public safety as well as […]
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