Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

ITEP Work in Action

American Federation of Teachers: A Decade of Neglect–Public Education Funding in the Aftermath of the Great Recession

July 15, 2018

“A Decade of Neglect: Public Education Funding in the Aftermath of the Great Recession,” details the devastating impact on schools, classrooms and students when states choose to pursue an austerity agenda in the false belief that tax cuts will pay for themselves.

Washington Post: N.J. Approaches a Government Shutdown as Democrats Feud Over Tax on Millionaires

June 28, 2018

New Jersey is just days away from a government shutdown over a plan to raise taxes on the rich that has divided Democrats and revealed the political difficulty of raising funds for the party's ambitious social spending goals.

Scene: Policy Matters Ohio Proposes State Income Tax Overhaul to Help Low- and Middle-Income Ohioans

June 26, 2018

After presenting the recommendations contained within a new report Tuesday morning, Policy Matters Ohio researcher director (and the report's lead author) Zach Schiller was asked whether or not Ohio, a "center-right state," would realistically support a tax code overhaul that proposed taxing Ohio's wealthiest at a higher rate.

Policy Matters Ohio: Overhaul: A plan to rebalance Ohio’s income tax

June 25, 2018

Policy Matters proposes the following changes to the state income tax […] This would generate almost $2.6 billion a year, including the cost of expanding the EITC, according to analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). Read more here  

Oklahoma Policy Institute: On Immigration Rhetoric, Consider the Facts

June 13, 2018

These undocumented Oklahomans currently contribute about $85 million in state and local taxes per year, according to our best estimates. They pay sales tax directly when they purchase goods and services, just like the rest of us, and they pay property taxes through owning a home or paying rent. Although they are not technically eligible […]

Oklahoma Policy Institute: To Improve Public Safety and Insurance rates, Allow Undocumented Oklahomans to Drive Legally

June 8, 2018

Oklahoma’s approximately 95,000 undocumented immigrants are a force in Oklahoma’s economy, accounting for about 1 in 30 members of the workforce and contributing roughly $85 million in state and local taxes annually. But despite their positive economic contributions, undocumented residents face arrest and/or deportation for doing something that many Oklahomans do every day: driving. Read […]

Center for American Progress: The 7 States Suing to End DACA Would Be Harmed by a Victory in Court

June 5, 2018

Through their employment, DACA recipients are contributors to their localities and states as wage earners and taxpayers. A 2017 state-by-state study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy showed that the 1.3 million young undocumented immigrants receiving and immediately eligible for DACA contribute significantly to state and local taxes at an estimated $2 billion […]

Oregon Center for Public Policy: Legislature Leaves Oregon Largely Defenseless Against Corporate Abuse of Tax Havens

June 5, 2018

The repeal of Oregon’s tax haven law flowed from the legislature’s response to the far-reaching tax law passed by Congress at the end of 2017. The federal law required corporations to pay taxes, at a reduced rate, on more than $2 trillion in profits they held abroad. The federal tax law also put in place provisions intended to deter future shifting of corporate profits to avoid taxes. 

The Commonwealth Institute: On Federal Tax Changes, Virginia Should Continue to Conform

June 4, 2018

Although some filers would pay more in state taxes under conformity, many of the highest-income filers – the top one percent – will receive large state tax cuts. This is in addition to also receiving a large federal tax cut. Recent analysis of the effects in Virginia shows that the top 1 percent will receive […]

NC Budget and Tax Center: Corporations over Carolinians?

May 31, 2018

Big corporations and wealthy executive have been on quite a run. Corporate profits are at historic levels,[1] stock prices are through the roof, and plush executive pay has become the norm. At the same time, corporate taxes have been slashed both here in North Carolina starting in 2013 and last December at the federal level. […]

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Arizona Proposal Would Finance School Funding Boost, Make Tax Code Less Regressive

May 30, 2018

The measure would also make Arizona’s tax code somewhat less regressive. Currently, the poorest 20 percent of households pay 12.5 percent of their annual income to state and local taxes — more than twice as much as the wealthiest 1 percent of Arizonans, who pay just 5.7 percent, according to the Institute on Taxation and […]

NC Budget and Tax Center: Revenue Options to Support Children’s Educational Success

May 30, 2018

The General Assembly legislative session begins on May 16, the same day teachers plan a day of action to highlight the unmet needs their students face in the classroom and their communities. While the evidence is quite clear that supporting children’s educational success can generate lifelong benefits for families and the broader economy[1], the NC […]

New Jersey Policy Perspective: Fast Facts: Proposed Tax Changes Would Bring More Balance to New Jersey’s Tax Code

May 24, 2018

The tax changes proposed in Gov. Murphy’s first budget would bring more balance to New Jersey’s tax code by raising taxes on the wealthiest one percent while reducing them for the lowest-income New Jerseyans.[1] Updating the tax code would also raise nearly $2 billion in new revenue for targeted investments in early education, public transit, health care and other essential public services.

NC Policy Watch: Governor Cooper recognizes North Carolina is in a hole, stops digging

May 22, 2018

Holding off on another round of tax cuts for the richest taxpayers and profitable corporations and keeping the increased standard deduction and lower rate for the majority of taxpayers will reduce the tax cuts given to the top 5 percent of taxpayers since 2013. Read more here

North Carolina Justice Center: New Report Looks at How Corporate Tax Cuts Have Hurt North Carolina

May 21, 2018

A new report on corporate income taxes looks at how corporate taxes have been slashed at the state and federal levels, provides evidence that wealthy shareholders are the prime beneficiaries of corporate tax cuts, and shows that corporate tax cuts have not solved North Carolina’s most pressing economic problems. Unless leaders in Raleigh change course, corporations could be in line for yet another tax cut next year if a rate cut to the corporate income tax moves ahead as currently scheduled.

Louisiana Budget Project: Black households would bear disproportionate burden of sales tax renewal

May 18, 2018

Lawmakers can address this imbalance by expanding Louisiana’s EITC. An increase of the state EITC from 3.5 percent to 7 percent of the federal EITC would offset a half-cent cent sales tax renewal for families in the bottom 40 percent of income earners. An EITC increase from 3.5 percent to 10 percent would offset a […]

Minnesota Budget Project: Governor Dayton’s Proposed Supplemental Budget Makes Investments In Education, Health And Human Services, Economic Development, Saves For The Future

May 16, 2018

Governor Mark Dayton released his FY 2018-19 supplemental budget proposal today, focused on making strategic investments to support Minnesota’s economic success, prioritizing working Minnesotans in responding to the federal tax bill, and leaving some of the state’s projected surplus unspent “to cushion against risk.”

Michigan League for Public Policy: The Looming Danger of Tax Cut Triggers in Michigan

May 15, 2018

New analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) uses current year and two-year forecasts to calculate the impact that a 0.1 or 0.25 rate reduction in the Personal Income Tax (PIT) could have on taxpayers and state revenue. The data shows that any reduction in the PIT actually shifts the tax load further to low-income Michiganders.

New Jersey Policy Perspectives: DACA Recipients Contribute $59 Million Per Year in Taxes

May 15, 2018

The ITEP study found that New Jersey’s young immigrants eligible for DACA contribute $59 million in state and local taxes each year, the seventh highest level of all fifty states. These contributions would increase by $38 million per year – the sixth most of all states – if all of those eligible for DACA enrolled […]

Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy: Idaho Primary Election Fiscal Policy Guide

May 11, 2018

This guide provides a brief summary of proposed tax changes put forth by the candidates. Estimates of the distributional impact on Idaho taxpayers and state revenue and provided by the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy.

Iowa Fiscal Partnership: Tax Plan Facts vs. Spin

May 5, 2018

As Iowa lawmakers consider the agreed-upon tax plan developed by Republican leadership and Governor Reynolds, sharp differences are clear from earlier proposals by the Governor and the House Ways and Means Committee.

Center for Tax and Budget Accountability: Cutting Taxes for the Middle Class and Shrinking the Deficit

April 30, 2018

According to the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, Illinois ranks as the fifth-most-regressive state and local tax system in the country — and the most regressive in the Midwest. In Illinois, the top one percent of income earners pay just 4.6 percent of their income in state and local taxes, while the middle 20 percent of workers pay more than double that, coming in at 10.8 percent of income, and the bottom 20 percent of earners have almost three times the tax burden of the wealthiest, coming in at 13.2 percent.

Beacon Journal/Ohio.Com Editorial Board: Agenda For The Governor’s Race

April 30, 2018

In one week, Democratic and Republican voters will choose their candidates for the November election. That includes the selections for governor, the job coming open after eight years with John Kasich. The governor has his achievements, most notably, the Medicaid expansion. His tenure also frames a worthy debate for this campaign. Fortunately, Innovation Ohio and Policy Matters Ohio, two think tanks, highlighted that discussion last week in unveiling their report “A Winning Economic Agenda for Ohio’s Working Families.”

Iowa Fiscal Partnership: IFP’s Tax Policy Kit

April 29, 2018

IFP's Tax Policy Kit offers resources for the public, advocates and policy makers who want to better understand the stakes — and sort away the spin — on state tax debates.

Vox: Arizona Teacher Walkout: How 3 Decades of Tax Cuts Suffocated Public Schools

April 26, 2018

Republican Gov. Doug Ducey tried to avert the strike by promising a 20 percent raise over the next three years — a promise that some say is tied to overly optimistic growth projections. But it’s important to understand why Arizona teachers aren’t just happy with a raise, and why their demands include restoring education funding […]

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.