ITEP Work in Action

“Last week, Governor Tomblin finally issued the call for the legislature to come back into a special session to balance the FY 2017 budget. The special session will begin today, May 16th, and the governor will once again submit a budget proposal for the legislature to consider. During the regular session, Governor Tomblin proposed $130 […]

“Yesterday, a letter signed by more than 150 Oklahoma clergy was delivered to lawmakers and Governor Fallin, urging them not to slash key tax credits for working families to fix the state’s revenue problems. They were joined by numerous non-profit and foundation leaders who spoke out against cuts to the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child/Child […]

“Large tax reductions proposed at a time when Mississippi already is cutting important public investments due to a lack of revenue would erode the state’s ability to create jobs and have a competitive economy. Over the past two years major tax cut proposals have been proposed that would cut and flatten the state’s income tax […]

“There are two key questions confronting Louisiana officials as they grapple with the most serious budget crisis in a generation: How much new tax revenue does Louisiana need in order to maintain the critical services that citizens expect? And secondly – who should pay those extra taxes? As things stand, Louisianans as a whole are […]

“Following hundreds of millions in dollars of cuts to health, human services and education to close a billion dollar budget hole in Fiscal Year 2016 (FY 16), lawmakers are once again facing tough choices as they prepare to close another billion dollar deficit for Fiscal Year 2017 (FY 17), all while staring down deficits of […]

As Georgians put the finishing touches on their returns to meet today’s income tax filing deadline, one benefit many are missing out on is a tax credit that states can offer to help average families get a fair deal. Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia provide taxpayers with a state-level match for the Earned […]

“The evidence is now undeniable that Oklahoma is facing a full-fledged emergency. With each passing day, the toll of budget cuts on Oklahoma families, schools, businesses, and communities becomes more alarming. Given the enormity of the budget shortfall, it’s widely understood that the budget can’t be balanced primarily through deeper spending cuts. The income tax […]

“In April 2016, the Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice released a report entitled “The State of Poverty in Hawai‘i: How Hawai‘i’s Residents Are Faring Post-Recovery.” The report brings together the most recent available data to provide a snapshot of how low-income residents have fared after the economic recovery.” Read more

“With most state legislatures now in session, policymakers are making fiscal policy decisions that will profoundly affect future economic opportunities in communities across the country.  States face a fundamental choice:  they can provide the resources required for public investment in schools, transportation, health care, safe communities, and other building blocks of economic growth, or go […]

“State and local taxes support schools, fix potholes, keep the snow plowed, the justice system running and the water clean. Economic prosperity depends on these public services. The wealthiest families benefit amply from our communities and state. But are they paying their fair share for these benefits? New data says they are not.” Read more

“Efforts to rely more on the state sales tax and less on the income tax to support public services have shifted tax obligations to less affluent North Carolinians, while saving the wealthiest the most money, and reduced resources available for public investments that build a strong economy.” Read full report

  This briefing paper analyzes several options for raising revenue for the Pennsylvania state budget which would fall much less on middle- and low-income families than the existing Pennsylvania state and local tax system. We first analyze the income tax increase (from 3.07% to 3.4%) and expansion of income tax forgiveness and sales tax base […]

“A new report projects a 24 percent increase in state and local tax revenues from undocumented immigrants in Iowa if they were granted permanent legal residence.” Read full report

“The state budget directly affects everyone living in West Virginia. It is the one law that makes state government function. It defines how we plan to use our resources to do the things together that cannot be done alone, such as creating good schools for our children, protecting the environment, making our communities safe, making […]

“Unauthorized immigrants contribute enormous sums to state and local coffers through taxes: $11.64 billion annually, according to a new report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Full implementation of the three deferred action initiatives would increase state and local tax contributions by unauthorized immigrants by an estimated $805 million each year.” Read full […]

This year’s General Assembly produced no shortage of big debates, with subjects from religious exemptions to rape kits grabbing statewide and even national headlines. But beneath the surface lurked a serious threat to Georgia’s well-being that didn’t make it onto many front pages or the late night shows. A pair of tax-slashing proposals, House Bill […]

In confronting the financial crisis looming over state budget decisions, the common-sense choice for Connecticut should be a balanced approach that includes revenue, rather than a cuts-only approach that threatens an already fragile economic recovery. Read more

A variety of tax bills await further consideration by state legislators as the Georgia General Assembly enters its final few weeks of the 2016 session. There are 11 tax bills affecting state revenues still alive after Crossover Day, the point where bills must clear at least one legislative chamber to have a good chance at […]

Read the full report here “Legislators passed a bipartisan budget last year that funds schools, communities, and programs that give a hand up to those most in need. The budget also cuts income taxes for 83% of Mainers and improves the overall fairness of Maine’s tax system by reducing property taxes for all homeowners and […]

Senate Resolution 756 threatens to undermine Georgia’s ability to remain an attractive state for families and businesses. Passing the amendment creates a rigid formula in Georgia’s constitution that inflicts a series of never-ending automatic revenue cuts based on arbitrary targets. This formula is harmful to Georgia’s growth, especially if coupled with House Bill 238’s proposal […]

Georgia lawmakers are considering a pair of proposals that offer a miniscule tax cut to the majority of Georgia families and a massive benefit to the highest-income individuals who need it least, while jeopardizing lawmakers’ ability to meet the needs of a rapidly growing state. The first plan, House Bill 238, calls for a series […]

Undocumented immigrants in Georgia pay a significant share of state and local taxes each year and providing those families a path to legal status can increase their tax payments even more. That’s the key takeaway from a new analysis from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), which takes a close look […]

Those in the wealthiest 1% are taking home the lion’s share of income gains, yet they nevertheless pay a smaller share of their income in combined state and local taxes than lower and middle-income families. New York households with incomes under $100,000 pay higher effective state and local tax rates, ranging from 10.4% to 12%, […]

  Low- and middle-income taxpayers in North Carolina pay a larger share of their income in state and local taxes than the wealthiest taxpayers in the state. This inequity in North Carolina’s tax code makes it difficult for working families to make ends meet and further challenges the state’s ability to invest in communities and […]

“A Missouri EITC would boost local communities and economies while encouraging work, enhancing take-home pay, and improving long-term health and economic outcomes for more than 500,000 Missouri families. A Missouri EITC would give a much-needed break to Missourians struggling to get by on low wages. A state EITC would boost local communities and economies while […]