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.

ThinkTennessee: Tennessee’s Working Families Are Paying More Than Their Fair Share of Taxes

April 29, 2024

A new fact sheet released today by nonpartisan think tank ThinkTennessee finds that while Tennessee has one of the lowest overall tax burdens in the nation, its low-income families face a higher effective tax rate than both wealthier families and businesses. The analysis comes on the heels of Tax Day when millions of individual income tax returns are due to be submitted to the federal government.

South Strong: Racial Equity and Taxes in Southern States

August 26, 2020

Southern states have a particularly egregious record on tax equity, rooted partly in racism. Lawmakers baked some of the most egregious and anti-democratic tax policies into southern state constitutions, such as supermajority requirements to raise taxes in Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, income tax rate caps in North Carolina and Georgia, and the recent elimination of […]

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: Troubling Hints About Direction for Tax Reform

June 8, 2017

The corporate tax cuts described above mean profitable businesses chip in less for the public services that help them succeed. And the result of less reliance on income and inheritance taxes is clear (see graph below): those at the top in Tennessee and Indiana pay an even smaller share of their income in state and local taxes than the wealthiest Kentuckians do, and their lowest-income residents pay an even higher share than the poorest Kentuckians.

The Sycamore Institute: Tennessee State Budget Primer

February 2, 2017

It is our pleasure to present to you the Sycamore Institute’s first Tennessee State Budget Primer. We hope this report – the information, the graphics, and the discussion – will demonstrate our commitment to putting reliable data and research in the hands of our state leaders, policymakers, and the general public. Below you will find […]

Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury: Tennessee Transportation Funding

January 20, 2015

This report is in response to a 2014 request from the Fiscal Review Committee of the Tennessee General Assembly. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of Tennessee’s current financing system for highways and bridges, outline challenges to the existing system, and review alternative funding methods. The report is intended to provide […]

North Carolina Budget & Tax Center: A Pathway to Poverty – 3 Reasons Why Tennessee is a Bad Role Model for North Carolina’s Economic Future

June 14, 2013

In the current debate over tax reform, legislative leaders frequently hold up Tennessee as a role model for improving North Carolina’s economic competitiveness and ensuring future prosperity. But a look beneath the surface reveals that the Volunteer State has the wrong kind of economy to emulate—Tennessee models a pathway to poverty, not a pathway to […]

Tennesseans for Fair Taxation: Tax Modernization & Economic Stimulus Act

January 15, 2013

This plan will provide much needed tax breaks to 60% of Tennesseans, those low- and middle-income families most likely to put that money back into the local economy. For example:     -A family of four making $20,000 will save over $550 per year.    -A family of four making $35,000 will save over $700 per year.    […]

Tennesseans for Fair Taxation: The Real Budget Deficit: A Call to Invest in Tennessee, its Communities, and its People

January 14, 2013

Instead of being the leader we should be, Tennessee trails the nation, and the region, in these key public investments. The consequences are evident. We’re 45th in high school graduation rates, 4th in violent crimes per capita, and fi rst in bankruptcies. When we hear these dismal rankings though, it is important not to fault […]