Citations

Unless lawmakers reverse course, close to one million working families in North Carolina will claim the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for the last time this tax season, bringing pain to individual families and local economies. One year ago, North Carolina lawmakers put an end to the tax credit and subsequently pursued deep tax […]

It comes as no surprise to working families that North Carolina’s tax system is fundamentally unfair. Families who make less than $47,000 a year pay, on average, nearly 2 times more of their income in state and local taxes than those making more than $345,000. But taxpayers don’t have to accept this fundamental unfairness. One […]

The more money you make in Illinois, the lower share of it you pay in state and local taxes. If that sounds unfair, that’s because it is. In fact, low- and middle-income workers pay, on average, two to three times the percentage of their income in state and local taxes that the wealthiest Illinoisans pay. […]

Previous posts have described how a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) would help working low-income Kentuckians make ends meet and reach every corner of the state. A state EITC would also make the tax system fairer, as shown in a new report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). Kentucky’s tax system […]

Efforts to modestly raise the minimum wage in Louisiana failed this legislative session — even though the wage isn’t high enough to keep a full-time worker with a child out of poverty. But some opponents of giving the lowest-paid workers a raise have suggested another pro-work, anti-poverty policy as an alternative: increasing the value of […]

Honorable Senator Haskell, Representative Goode, members of the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation, I am Garrett Martin, Executive Director of the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP). I am here today to speak in opposition to LD 1664. Since 2011, Maine’s tax code has gotten less, not more, fair. Reductions to the top income tax […]

This issue brief from the Fiscal Policy Center at Connecticut Voices for Children identifies a feature of the Connecticut tax system that effectively penalizes households with children, relative to households without kids. Across the country, nearly all states that have enacted an income tax have also enacted some form of tax exemption, deduction or credit […]

This report from the Fiscal Policy Center at Connecticut Voices for Children compares Connecticut’s tax system to those of other states and finds: Connecticut is nearly alone among states in not making broad-based tax adjustments for families with dependent children.  More than half of states with an income tax (24 of 41 states) offset the […]

The Missouri Senate approved Senate Bill 509 this week. The measure would require sharp cuts to state services, undermining Missouri’s economy by starving it of the resources it needs to offer quality education from preschool to college, a state of the art infrastructure, and safe, healthy and stable communities. Moreover, the minor tax reduction for […]

The Michigan League for Public Policy opposes Senate Bill 402. Across‐the‐board cuts in the state’s personal income tax will not create jobs or grow the economy in Michigan. They could, however, affect long-term prosperity by locking in cuts in funding for public schools, colleges and universities, and local communities—the very services and public structures that […]

The Michigan League for Public Policy opposes House Bills 5265, 5266, and 5267 because across-the-board cuts in the state’s personal income tax will not create jobs or grow Michigan’s economy. In fact, revenue reductions associated with income tax reductions could affect long-term prosperity by locking in cuts in funding for colleges and universities, local communities, […]

Proposals to roll back the personal income tax in Michigan will not create jobs or grow our economy and will disproportionately benefit the wealthiest taxpayers the most. In fact, most of the benefits of a cut in the state’s personal income tax from 4.25% to 3.9% would flow to Michigan’s wealthiest taxpayers, according to an […]

The debate over changing Georgia’s tax system is quieter than usual at the Georgia General Assembly this year. Still, some efforts are afoot to push Georgia in a radical tax direction over time. Two resolutions gaining traction would put new tax restrictions in the state constitution. Senate Resolutions 412 and 415, sponsored by Senate Pro […]

Most DC residents — like most Americans — agree that income tax rates should be graduated by income. Low-income households should pay the lowest rate, so that there is an incentive to work and they can support their basic needs. This kind of progressive approach also means tax rates get higher as incomes rise and […]