It’s March and state lawmakers are showing why the Madness isn’t only reserved for the basketball court…
State Policy
State taxes pay for essential public services, from education to health care. But the ideal design of a tax system is complicated. ITEP’s state policy resources offer insights into central issues, including the impact of state tax systems on individuals, families, and businesses. Its work also analyzes the sustainability of revenue sources over time.
ITEP's State Policy Research Priorities
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blog March 15, 2023 State Rundown 3/15: Tax Madness
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blog March 9, 2023 State Rundown 3/9: The Whirlwind 2023 Legislative Session Continues
State 2023 legislative sessions are proving to be eventful ones. With many states eager to make use of their budget surpluses, major tax changes are still being proposed and others… -
brief March 3, 2023 Tax Avoidance Continues to Fuel School Privatization Efforts
Wealthy families are overwhelmingly the ones using school voucher tax credits to opt out of paying for public education and other public services and to redirect their tax dollars to private and religious institutions instead. Most of these credits are being claimed by families with incomes over $200,000.
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blog March 1, 2023 State Rundown 3/1: The Long March to the Finish Line
This week, several big tax proposals took strides on the march toward becoming law…
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blog February 28, 2023 New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut Should Keep Corporate Taxes Strong, Extend Surcharges
At a time when corporations are seeing record profits while not paying their fair share of federal taxes, state corporate income taxes can and should play a role in raising sustainable revenue and adding progressivity to state tax codes. Right now, lawmakers in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut have a unique opportunity to extend targeted tax changes that have raised billions of dollars from profitable corporations for meaningful public investments.
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blog February 28, 2023 Dear Ohio: Beware the Flat Tax
The flat tax plan and others being discussed that would cut even deeper would be windfalls for the wealthy, and expensive ones at that. Families with incomes over $300,000 per year, for example, could expect to gain, as a group, about a billion dollars annually under the flat tax plan. If you asked Ohio families about their top priorities for this legislative session, it’s a safe bet that very few of them would choose a billion-dollar tax cut for this group over funding for schools, parks, and infrastructure.
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blog February 23, 2023 State Rundown 2/23: Tax Dominos Take Shape, Begin to Fall as Session Heats Up
The 2023 legislative session is in full swing, and dominos continue to be set up as others fall…
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blog February 22, 2023 The Five Best Tax Ideas Coming from Governors This Year
The word “tax” appears 97 times and counting in one recent summary of governors’ addresses to state legislators so far this year. The policy visions that governors are bringing, however, vary enormously. While there’s good reason to worry about tax cuts for wealthy families and the flattening or elimination of income taxes, there are at least five great tax ideas coming directly out of governors’ offices this year.
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blog February 15, 2023 State Rundown 2/15: Love You, Love You Not – Tax Edition
This week, a fresh bouquet of tax proposals was delivered by state lawmakers, but not all of them have left us with that warm, fuzzy feeling in our stomachs…
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blog February 9, 2023 State Rundown 2/9: We <3 Taxes
The great women’s philosopher, Pat Benatar, once said “love is a battlefield,” and there’s no greater test of our love for state tax policy than following the ups and downs of state legislative sessions…
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blog February 9, 2023 Why the States Have a Major Role to Play If We Want Tax Justice
With fears of gridlock in a divided Washington, tax justice champions are building momentum in other places where there’s dire need for better tax policy: the states. We can upgrade communities across the country by making 2023 a year to win tax improvements in statehouses.
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blog February 1, 2023 State Rundown 2/1: February Brings New (and Some Old) Tax Policy Conversations
Tax bills across the U.S. are winding their way through state legislatures and governors continue to set the tone for this year’s legislative sessions…
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blog January 26, 2023 State Rundown 1/26: Tax Season Brings With it Reminder of EITC’s Impact
Tax season has officially kicked off and with Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day right around the corner, it serves as another reminder for how important the EITC is…
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blog January 19, 2023 State Rundown 1/19: ITEP Provides a Roadmap for Equitable Tax Goals in 2023
State legislatures are buzzing as leaders and lawmakers jockey to advance their 2023 goals…
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blog January 18, 2023 Several States Make New Moves to Tax Wealth
Lawmakers in seven states will introduce legislation this week to tax wealth in a new coordinated effort to combat ever-increasing income and wealth inequality. The bills couldn’t come at a better time, as those at the very top continue to pull apart from the rest of us and far too many states contemplate piling on to this runaway inequality with seemingly endless tax cuts for those at the top.
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blog January 18, 2023 State Lawmakers Should Break the 2023 Tax Cut Fever Before It’s Too Late
Despite mixed economic signals for 2023, including a possible recession, many state lawmakers plan to use temporary budget surpluses to forge ahead with permanent, regressive tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of low- and middle-income households. These cuts would put state finances in a precarious position and further erode public investments in education, transportation and health, all of which are crucial for creating inclusive, vibrant communities where everyone, not just the rich, can achieve economic security and thrive. In the event of an economic downturn, these results would be accelerated and amplified.
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blog January 18, 2023 Momentum Behind State Tax Credits for Workers and Families Continues in 2023
Refundable tax credits are an important tool for improving family economic security and advancing racial equity, and there is incredible momentum heading into 2023 to boost two key state credits: the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit.
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brief January 17, 2023 The Pitfalls of Flat Income Taxes
Flat taxes have some surface appeal but come with significant disadvantages. Critically, a flat tax guarantees that wealthy families’ total state and local tax bill will be a lower share of their income than that paid by families of more modest means.
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blog January 11, 2023 State Rundown 1/11: Governors Ready to Talk Tax in 2023 State Addresses
Governors have begun their annual trek to the podium in statehouses across the U.S. to lay out their visions for 2023, and so far, taxes look like they will play a major role in debates throughout state legislative sessions…
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blog January 5, 2023 State Rundown 1/5: State Taxes Coming in Hot in New Year
The new year often brings with it new goals and a desire to take on complex problems with a fresh perspective. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always apply to state lawmakers when considering tax policy…
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blog December 15, 2022 State Rundown 12/15: State Priorities for 2023 Begin to Take Shape
State leaders have begun to release budget projections for 2023 and a familiar theme has emerged once again: big revenue surpluses, which have many state lawmakers pushing for another round of tax cuts despite the monumental challenges that we as a country face that call for sustainable revenues…
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blog November 30, 2022 State Rundown 11/30: ‘Lame Duck’ December Could Have Major Tax Implications
As federal lawmakers begin their lame duck deliberations, the revival of the expanded child tax credit remains a strong possibility…
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blog November 16, 2022 States Can Halve Child Poverty with Child Tax Credits
State policymakers have the tools they need to drastically reduce child poverty within their borders. A new ITEP report, coauthored with Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy, explores… -
report November 16, 2022 State Child Tax Credits and Child Poverty: A 50-State Analysis
Regardless of future Child Tax Credit developments at the federal level, state policies can supplement the federal credit to deliver additional benefits to children and families. State credits can be specifically tailored to meet the needs of local populations while also producing long-term benefits for society as a whole
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blog November 10, 2022 State Rundown 11/10: Midterm Madness
As states continue to tally the remaining votes and the news stories roll out at a breakneck pace, the unofficial results of the 2022 midterm elections have brought with it significant changes across the state tax policy landscape…