
March 10, 2025
A little-known Starbucks subsidiary in Switzerland appears to have played a big role in how much the coffee chain paid over the last decade in taxes, according to a new report. On paper, Starbucks Coffee Trading Company, or SCTC, based in the Swiss Canton of Vaud, is responsible for sourcing unroasted coffee from countries like Colombia and Rwanda before it's used in beverages at Starbucks' cafés. It also oversees Starbucks' Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices program for ethical coffee sourcing.
March 10, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
A new report from CICTAR alleges that hidden behind its ‘ethical’ sourcing of coffee beans, Starbucks engages in major global tax avoidance. The report estimates that at least $1.3 billion has been diverted via Starbucks’ Swiss subsidiary over the last decade. On paper only, all of Starbucks’ coffee – at least 3% of the global coffee bean trade – is purchased via a Swiss subsidiary. This entity, Starbucks Coffee Trading Company Sarl, has marked up the price by a stunning 15-18% before re-selling to other Starbucks subsidiaries for roasting and retailing.
March 10, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
New fact sheets from the Economic Policy Institute illustrate the positive economic impact of immigrant workers in every state–and cite recent research on how much President Trump’s mass deportation agenda could cost states in tax revenue. Read more.
March 7, 2025
Congressional Republicans, backed by the White House, are pushing for a new tax credit that would direct billions of dollars a year to school voucher programs — and not just in conservative states. The program would be fueled by a powerful, never-before-tried incentive: Taxpayers who donate to voucher programs would get 100 percent of their money back when they file their taxes. That means the tax break for giving to voucher programs would dwarf tax incentives for giving to churches, hospitals, food banks and every other charity.
March 7, 2025
Immigrants in the country illegally paid nearly $100 billion in taxes in 2022, according to a report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic policy. But that source of government revenue may soon taper off as the Trump administration pushes the Internal Revenue Service to help it accelerate its program of mass deportations. The Washington Post reported Friday that the IRS rejected a request from Homeland Security to reveal the addresses of 700,000 people the agency suspects of being undocumented, an action that could violate taxpayer privacy laws. But the Post went on to report the new acting IRS commissioner…
March 7, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
Conservative revenue estimates released last month by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) project more than $700 million annually in new revenues for Maryland once you close the loophole that allows a small group of the world’s most aggressive global giants to dodge their responsibility to the people of Maryland.[10] These funds will help Maryland close its budget gap, respond effectively to the federal government’s financial threats, and enable important public investments in good schools, good nutrition, good roads, good health care, and good state workers who deliver high-quality service to Marylanders.
March 7, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla; Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon; Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple; and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, regarding the cumulative $75 billion in tax giveaways — handed out at the expense of working families — that their companies could receive after cozying up to the Trump administration.
March 6, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
The Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies are causing a public health crisis, marked by severe mental and physical health consequences for detained immigrants in overcrowded and unsafe detention centers, which places a substantial financial burden on the US health care system. Read more.
March 5, 2025
The Trump administration claims gutting federal agencies will save money, but cutting the IRS means the government collects less taxes. “If you’re interested in the deficit and curbing it, why would you cut back on the revenue side?” one expert asks. Read more.
March 5, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
As most Americans know, we are living in a pivotal moment in American history – facing unprecedented challenges. How we respond to this moment will impact not only OUR lives, but the lives of our kids and grandchildren and, in terms of climate change, the very health and well-being of our planet. Read more.
March 5, 2025
The number of states imposing sales taxes on groceries has shrunk over the years, and the number may decrease further in the coming months as lawmakers hear complaints about high prices for eggs and other household staples. Read more.
March 4, 2025 • By Miles Trinidad
This testimony was delivered to a joint session of Maryland’s House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees on February 27, 2025. Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on the Budget Reconciliation Act of 2025. My name is Miles Trinidad, and I’m a state analyst with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a […]
March 4, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
In response to the recent passage by the House of Representatives of a budget resolution that seeks to cut hundreds of billions in funding for programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee has passed a resolution from Senator Troy Singleton and Senate […]
March 3, 2025
ITEP Senior Fellow Matt Gardner recently spoke to Sonali Kolhatkar about how worldwide combined reporting can be used to crack down on corporate tax avoidance. You can watch the full video here.
March 3, 2025
A new in-depth report is strengthening the push to eliminate Tennessee’s state sales tax on groceries without cutting essential public services. The analysis shows that closing corporate tax loopholes could generate nearly $900 million in revenue—enough to offset the cost of repealing the grocery tax entirely. Read more.
February 27, 2025
In a special legislative session late last year, Louisiana passed a sweeping overhaul to its tax system year that saw the state income tax slashed to a flat tax rate and increased the rates of the state sales tax. Some have said the new tax system is a very modest improvement, while others find it […]
February 27, 2025
Undocumented immigrants paid nearly $97 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022, according to a July 2024 report, opens new tab by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), which used data on taxpayers with ITINs to estimate tax revenue.
February 27, 2025 • By Matthew Gardner
ITEP Senior Fellow Matt Gardner submitted the written testimony below to Maryland’s House Ways & Means Committee on February 20, 2025. Video of his oral testimony is at the bottom of this post. Thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony. My name is Matthew Gardner. I am a senior fellow at the Institute […]
February 26, 2025
Over the coming months, President Donald Trump and his congressional allies will try to rewrite the nation’s tax laws, with promises of cuts for companies, workers and retirees. There are trillions of dollars on the line with those changes. But a certain segment of Americans will be focused on just one question: How much of their state and local taxes (SALT) will they be allowed to deduct?
February 25, 2025
During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to end federal taxation of Social Security retirement benefits. This isn't something he can do unilaterally. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the president and Republican lawmakers have discussed including this move in a budget package. But so far in his second term, President Trump has made some changes on his own that affect Social Security either directly or indirectly. Here are four things you should know.
February 25, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
House Bill 116 in this year’s state legislative session in Hawai’i cites ITEP data on the revenue potential of worldwide combined reporting (WWCR). (For more on WWCR, read our recent report here.)
February 25, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
In Florida, the ability of local governments to raise revenue for operations is limited by the state constitution.[1] With the exception of fees, special assessments,[2] and the property tax, also known as an ad valorem tax, local governments are dependent on the Legislature and state laws for authority to levy other forms of taxation and raise revenue. Consequently, as a matter of fiscal management and local autonomy, the property tax is paramount. Considering recent policy proposals to eliminate property taxes (see Appendix), this brief explores the property tax, its role as a source of local fiscal autonomy, possibilities for reform, and the…
February 22, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
Proposed Medicaid cuts could affect over 400,000 Mainers, especially children, older adults, and families with low income, reducing access to essential health care and economic stability. Read more.
February 22, 2025 • By ITEP Staff
Conservative revenue estimates released this week by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) project hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenues for Maryland once you close the loophole that allows a small group of the world’s most aggressive global giants to dodge their responsibility to the people of Maryland. Read more.
February 20, 2025
President Trump issued an order Thursday aimed at preventing taxpayer money from supporting immigrants without legal status. Read more.