Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

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Associated Press: Memorial Day: Higher Fuel Prices Have Some Americans Scaling Back Their Travel Plans

May 22, 2026

That kind of calibration is shaping the summer travel season, which gets its traditional start in the U.S. with the long Memorial Day holiday weekend. Higher fuel prices resulting from the Iran war and other inflationary pressures are making most forms of travel costlier as people in many parts of the world form their plans.

USA Today: Jeff Bezos says these Americans should pay ‘zero’ federal taxes

May 21, 2026

His comments come at a moment when some cities and states are proposing higher taxes on the rich.

CNBC: Jeff Bezos Says Bottom Half of Earners Should Pay Zero in Income Taxes

May 21, 2026

Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos on Wednesday called for zero federal income taxes on the bottom half of earners.

The Independent: ‘Dirty Deal’: Trump Bailed Himself Out of IRS Trouble and Got a $1.8B ‘Slush Fund’ for Allies. Legal Experts Sound the Alarm

May 21, 2026

After Donald Trump sued his own administration for $10 billion, pitting his personal lawyers against the Department of Justice, the president was gifted a broad, single-page document that gives him sweeping immunity from tax crimes.

Time: Democrats Criticize Trump After He Dismisses Soaring Gas Prices As ‘Peanuts’

May 20, 2026

Affordability remains a central issue for Americans as prices at the pump and other everyday costs continue to rise. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Americans have paid over $39 billion more to oil companies since prices began rising after the war started. Read more.

Pluribus News: Taxing Big Tech’s Ad Revenue Gains Momentum in Statehouses

May 18, 2026

Utah joins the growing number of states interested in a digital advertising tax. Read more.

The Guardian: Republicans’ Plan for Zero State Income Tax Could Be ‘Devastating’, Experts Warn

May 18, 2026

A Missouri proposal to eliminate income tax and expand sales tax would result in depleted public funds and higher income inequality in the state. Read more.

The New York Times: What a US Gas Tax Suspension Could Mean for Drivers and the Prices They See at the Pump

May 18, 2026

A gas tax suspension would cut federal revenue by $2.4 billion a month, and save families earning less than $53,000 a year about $5 a month, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more. 

Associated Press: What a US Gas Tax Suspension Could Mean for Drivers and the Prices They See at the Pump

May 18, 2026

The U.S. gas tax is the single biggest source of revenue for federal highway and public transit programs. A suspension is unlikely to offset high prices at the pump, but “you could very easily imagine some kind of combination of higher national debt and lower funding for roads and bridges and other transportation projects,” Carl […]

Chicago Sun Times: Stop Burdening Working Families; Tax Wealth and Corporate Profits Fairly

May 18, 2026

In Illinois, low-income households pay more than double the share of their income in state and local taxes compared to the wealthiest 1%, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. To balance the scales and improve public revenue for important social services, the state can cut loose from Trump’s corporate tax giveaways and […]

CNN: DACA Recipients Are Losing Protections and Work Permits as Renewal Delays Surge

May 17, 2026

Marco, 26, graduated from one of the country’s top medical schools last week. He found his calling after witnessing his grandmother battle cancer, and he sometimes worked up to 40 to 60 hours a week to afford his education. That dream is now in jeopardy. Marco is one of the over 500,000 active recipients of […]

Fortune: Trump Wants To Suspend the Federal Gas Tax. The Move Could Mean Higher Debt—and More Potholes

May 14, 2026

A federal gas tax suspension and subsequent federal spending cuts would add to the mounting national debt. The tax cut may benefit fuel industry leaders with little savings for consumers. Read more.

MarketPlace: Politicians Are Chipping Away at America’s Tax Base, Despite a Growing Debt

May 11, 2026

88 of America’s largest companies, including Tesla and United Airlines, paid no federal corporate income taxes in their last fiscal year. The Trump administration’s tax cuts favor wealthy households and corporations, while low income taxpayers foot the bill. Read more. 

NPR: The Effects of the Iran War on Americans’ Wallet

May 4, 2026

The economic strain from rising gas prices falls the hardest on low-income households. Actions from the Trump administration to counter these costs have little to no impact Read more.

Deseret News: Poll: Trump Promised Your Tax Refund Would Be Bigger. Did He Deliver?

April 30, 2026

Steve Wamhoff, at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said, “The net effect this year of all Trump’s tax policies is to increase taxes on the average American in all income groups aside from the richest 5%.” Read more.

Newsweek: Deadline Looms on Ohio Movement To Abolish Property Tax

April 30, 2026

Eliminating property taxes in the state will cut crucial funding to local services—and this is probably why Ohio lawmakers have not backed the grassroots initiative, expert Kamolika Das, local policy director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), told Newsweek last year. Read more.

AP: In One State, Voters Will Get To Decide Whether To Eliminate the Income Tax. Will More Follow?

April 30, 2026

A family earning between $49,000 and $78,000 annually would pay an average of $535 more in taxes if Missouri’s income tax is repealed and replaced with higher sales taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more.

Stateline: Millionaire Taxes Gain Steam As States Face Budget Crunches

April 30, 2026

Different forms of a tax on millionaires are spreading across the nation. These moves can help balance state tax structures that are tilted against lower earners. Read more.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Trump’s Tariffs Erased Trump’s Tax Cuts

April 24, 2026

As April 15 drew near, Republicans from President Donald Trump on down took turns praising the GOP tax law, their signature accomplishment. … But a recent ITEP study found that there wasn’t more money going into the pockets of anyone but the wealthy. Read more

Business Insider: New York Wants to Tax Empty Second Homes. Here’s What Happened in Cities That Tried It.

April 22, 2026

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is gearing up to tax the rich — if they live elsewhere but own multimillion-dollar properties in New York City. Read more.

CBS: As Iran War Drives Up Fuel Prices, States Are Hesitant To Suspend Gas Taxes. Here’s Why.

April 16, 2026

Experts express concern over gas tax suspensions as a way to counteract rising gas prices. “If the goal is to get tax cuts into the hands of working-class, middle-class drivers, it’s mostly going to miss the mark,” said Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more. 

Politico: Oil Company Founded by Energy Secretary Paid No US Taxes Last Year

April 16, 2026

Liberty Energy paid no federal corporate income taxes last year. The company founded and formerly run by Energy Secretary Chris Wright was among several energy companies included in a report issued Tuesday by the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy naming 88 companies that together made more than $105 billion before taxes last year but paid […]

Fortune: How a Free Tax Filing System From the Government Went From 296,000 Users to Zero in Just One Year

April 16, 2026

“Killing Direct File is not irreversible,” Matthew Gardner said. “We had this brief period when, incredibly, the IRS was given the tools they need to introduce this helpful tool”. Read more.

Straight Arrow News: Geography Determines Tax Liability As More States Move To Tax the Rich

April 16, 2026

“Wealthy Americans are getting enormous tax breaks. If you raise rates on the very top, especially at a time of spiking inequality, you raise more revenue for the things your communities need,” said Amy Hanauer, the executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more.

New York Times: Immigrants Are Scared To File Taxes. It Could Cost the U.S. Billions.

April 16, 2026

Before the agreement between the I.R.S. and ICE, unauthorized immigrants paid roughly $60 billion annually in federal taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Read more.

Members of the media rely on ITEP for analysis and insight about how tax policies affect people. If you’re a reporter looking to talk to one of our experts, contact Jon Whiten at [email protected].