Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

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.

Testimony: ITEP’s Amy Hanauer Discusses the House Reconciliation Bill During a Senate Spotlight Forum

June 18, 2025

Thank you for including me today and you can find research that I reference today on the website of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy at www.itep.org. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) would cut services to poor and middle-class families, reduce revenue available for public needs, and provide large tax cuts primarily to the richest Americans, while also providing tax cuts to foreign investors.

ITEP’s Marco Guzman Testifies in Favor of Tax Fairness Bills in Connecticut

March 11, 2024

Good afternoon, Senator Fonfara, Representative Horn, and members of the Committee, and thank you for this opportunity to testify. My name is Marco Guzman and I'm a senior policy analyst with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, or ITEP, and we’re a nonprofit research organization that focuses on state, local, and federal tax policy issues. 

ITEP’s Kamolika Das Testifies on Pennsylvania’s Upside-Down Tax Code

March 4, 2024

Below is written testimony delivered by ITEP Local Policy Director Kamolika Das before the Pennsylvania House Finance Subcommittee on Tax Modernization & Reform on March 1, 2024. Good afternoon and thank you for this opportunity to testify. My name is Kamolika Das, I live in South Philly, and I’m the Local Tax Policy Director at […]

Testimony of ITEP’s Amy Hanauer Before the D.C. Tax Revision Commission

May 3, 2023

The written testimony of ITEP Executive Director Amy Hanauer is below the embedded video of the hearing. Dear D.C. Tax Revision Commission,  Thank you for inviting me to testify last week on the research of my colleagues at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. We’re grateful to have our perspective included and as a […]

Fiscal Policy Institute: Inequality in New York & Options for Progressive Tax Reform

November 11, 2022

Income statistics have long shown that the top earners in New York State earn relatively more than their counterparts elsewhere in the U.S. Income inequality alone, however, provides an incomplete picture of the wealthiest households’ economic resources. In order to understand real economic power, we have to look at households’ wealth (their total net assets). […]

Fiscal Policy Institute: Unemployment Insurance Taxes Paid for Undocumented Workers in NYS

May 14, 2020

In the midst of a pandemic, there has been a growing call for undocumented immigrants, who make up five percent of the New York State labor force, to be covered by some form of unemployment insurance. What is often overlooked in discussions of unemployment insurance is the extent to which undocumented immigrants are already part […]

Fiscal Policy Institute: Dream Act: What’s At Stake for New York

December 1, 2017

There are 76,000 young immigrants who were potentially eligible for DACA that call New York home. They currently contribute a total of $115 million to local and state taxes annually through sales and excise taxes, property taxes and income tax. Read more

Fiscal Policy Institute: Immigrant Youth Add $140 Million to New York Tax Revenues

April 25, 2017

The report, conducted by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy and co-released in New York by the Fiscal Policy Institute, focuses on the executive order known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The executive order first went into effect in 2012, and in New York State, of the estimated 820,000 undocumented immigrants, about 76,000 are eligible for DACA.

Fiscal Policy Institute: Economic Contribution, Taxes Paid, and Occupations of Unauthorized Immigrants in New York State

April 3, 2017

There is a widespread misconception that unauthorized immigrants do not pay taxes. Yet, a careful national study prepared by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy—and coreleased in New York by the Fiscal Policy Institute with this report—finds that unauthorized immigrants currently pay $1.1 billion in state and local taxes in New York. Read more […]

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: Tiny Fraction of Wealthiest Kentuckians Gain from Tax Cuts in Health Repeal

March 23, 2017

The House plan to repeal healthcare reform, known as the American Health Care Act (AHCA), provides a tax cut to the wealthiest people while reducing the number of Americans with health coverage by an estimated 24 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Because Kentucky has relatively few high earners, we benefit even less from the […]

Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center: The Fair Share Tax to Support Public Investment in Pennsylvania

March 23, 2017

This paper puts forward a plan, which we call the Fair Share Tax, that would take a major step toward fixing Pennsylvania’s broken tax system and raise the revenues we need to invest in the public goods that are critical to creating thriving communities and individual opportunity in our state: education, infrastructure, protection for our […]

Fiscal Policy Institute: New York’s Regressive Tax Structure and the 1% Plan for Tax Fairness

February 17, 2016

Those in the wealthiest 1% are taking home the lion’s share of income gains, yet they nevertheless pay a smaller share of their income in combined state and local taxes than lower and middle-income families. New York households with incomes under $100,000 pay higher effective state and local tax rates, ranging from 10.4% to 12%, […]

Local Progress: Progressive Policies for Raising Municipal Revenue

June 16, 2015

This report lays out a set of policy and political interventions that cities, regions, and states can make to increase municipal revenue and to make their collections more progressive. Cities have historically suffered enormous budget shortfalls and after the Great Recession, available funds depleted even more drastically. Read the full report here.

Fiscal Policy Institute: Property Tax Relief for Low- and Middle-Income Property New Yorkers Must Remain a Priority

May 28, 2015

Those making the least income relative to other New Yorkers would benefit more from the proposed circuit breaker than from a STAR rebate. Some 40 percent of taxpayers with incomes below $19,000 (the poorest fifth of New Yorkers) would receive a circuit breaker refund, according to an analysis of the governor’s proposal by the Institute […]

Fiscal Policy Institute: Policy Brief: Property Tax Relief (Circuit Breaker)

March 6, 2015

Those at the bottom of the income scale [in New York] would benefit most—62 percent of homeowners and 37 percent of renters with incomes below $19,000 would receive a circuit breaker refund according to an analysis of the governor’s proposal by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Some 27 percent of homeowners and renters […]

Colorado Fiscal Institute: The truth about taxes in Colorado

January 21, 2015

Who really pays a greater share of their income in taxes in Colorado? The rich or the poor? We answered this question by using the latest data from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The New York Times featured ITEP’s latest data in a national story today as well. Read the full report  

Fiscal Policy Institute: NYS Can Help Low-income Working Families with Children by Increasing its Earned Income Tax Credit

August 1, 2014

It comes as no surprise to working families that New York State’s tax system is fundamentally unfair. Low- and middle-income workers pay, on average, a much higher share of their income in state and local taxes than the highest income earners. According to analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the […]

Fiscal Policy Center: Corning and MasterCard Paid .6% in State Taxes

April 15, 2014

As New York struggles with tough budget decisions about essential public services, profitable Fortunate 500 companies like Corning, MasterCard, Lowes and Consolidated Edison are paying 2% or less in state income taxes for 2012 thanks to copious loopholes, lavish giveaways and crafty accounting. The recently passed state budget did nothing to close these loopholes and […]

New York State Tax Reform and Fairness Comission: Final Report

November 21, 2013

The New York State Tax Reform and Fairness Commission conducted a comprehensive and objective review of the State’s taxation policy, considering ways to eliminate tax loopholes, promote administrative efficiency and enhance tax collection and enforcement. Read the Full Report

Center for American Progess: The Real Cost of Cuccinelli

September 23, 2013

Besides working on these major research projects, I developed CTJ/ITEP’s strong online media presence. One of the most important roles I play is as the primary web manager for both CTJ and ITEP. Similarly, over the past two years I successfully initiated and then maintained CTJ and ITEP’s social media presence. Center for American Progress […]

Fiscal Policy Institute: Immigration Reform Would Improve Economic Productivity

June 17, 2013

June 4, 2013. A new report from the Fiscal Policy Institute shows that legalizing undocumented immigrants, paired with labor standards enforcement, would boost economic productivity. Reform would remove barriers to advancement for newly legalized immigrants, create a level playing field for businesses, and align our systems of taxation, social services, and social insurance so that […]

Fiscal Policy Institute: New York State Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2013-2014

May 16, 2013

In addition to this Budget Overview section, this briefing also includes a section on the Economic Context for deliberations regarding the state’s 2013-2014 budget and a section on Tax Policy, a major focus of the Fiscal Policy Institute’s work. Read the Full Report (PDF)

Connecticut Voices for Children: Lower Than New York’s for Everyone but the Poor

May 16, 2013

One sometimes hears that recent state income tax increases on the rich could cause them to leave Connecticut for New York and points south. Academic research has shown that taxes are simply not a significant factor in families’ moving decisions. Nonetheless, some believe they are, and so it is important for policymakers to understand how […]

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Strategies to Address the State Tax Volatility Problem

April 19, 2013

State revenues plummet in recessions, just when states can least afford the loss.  Some proposals to address this flaw in state tax systems would change the systems’ structure — for instance, by replacing state personal income taxes with sales taxes — but wouldn’t solve the problem and would exacerbate others in state tax systems.  States […]

Fiscal Policy Institute: Back on Track: Why Progressive Tax Reform Is an Essential Part of New York’s Budget Solution

January 14, 2013

New York faces one of the largest budget deficits in the country for the coming year at $14.2 billion. The State’s 2009-10 fiscal year begins April 1, 2009. Two responses to addressing the crisis have dominated the policy debate. While both acknowledge the detrimental impact Wall Street revenue declines have had on the State’s fiscal […]