Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Citations

ITEP's Citations Research Priorities

Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Taxing Capital Gains

FAQ on Enacting a Capital Gains Tax In Washington State Read the full report

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families: Changing how we tax capital gains

A relatively small number of wealthy Arkansans who make money from the sale of investments reaped the benefits from the capital gains tax cuts passed in 2013. These expensive tax cuts, however, are likely to be scaled back. Today the House Committee approved a version of Governor Hutchinson’s middle-income tax cut that reduces, instead of […]

Montana Budget & Policy Center: Investing in Montana’s Working Families

In Montana, thousands of families struggle to make ends meet. One of the most promising policy opportunities to support working families and boost our economy is the enactment of a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The Great Recession and other economic trends made it harder for Montana’s families to live above the poverty line. […]

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families: Governor’s tax plan leaves out poorest Arkansans

The governor’s new tax cut plan is a step in the right direction for tax fairness, but leaves out the poorest 20 percent of Arkansans and raises concerns about how the lost revenue will impact vital programs for children and families. Despite tax breaks targeted to the middle class, and even a hike for the […]

Economic Progress Institute: Making Work Pay for Working Families

Rhode Islanders who work full-time should be able to support their families. Yet, far too many are struggling to pay for housing, heat, food, and health care. Increasing Rhode Island’s refundable Earned Income Tax Credit to 20 percent from 10 percent would put hundreds of dollars back in the pockets of working families, improving their […]

CNN Money: Offshore Corporate Cash Piles at Risk from Obama Tax Plan

February 2, 2015

Meanwhile, Matt Gardner, executive director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, says the proposed tax rates are too low. “It’s helpful that the [U.S.] administration has identified a way to tax the profits that multinationals are stashing offshore. This is an important part of tax reform. But I think these rates are too […]

Nooga.com: Study Says Tennessee Poor Hit Harder with Taxes than the Rich

February 2, 2015

The report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy—a nonpartisan research group with ties to the liberal-leaning Citizens for Tax Justice—ranks Tennessee’s tax system as the seventh most unfair in the U.S. Under a regressive tax structure, family incomes are less equal after state and local taxes are paid than before. Read more

Progress Illinois: Illinois Ranks Poorly on Wellbeing Indicators

February 2, 2015

Additionally, researchers highlighted the fact that Illinois has the fifth most regressive tax system in the nation, according to a separate study recently issued by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The analysis showed that the poorest Illinois residents currently pay almost three times more in taxes as a percent of their income compared to the richest people in the […]

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio’s Tax System Burdens Middle Class and Poor

February 2, 2015

In Ohio the top 1 percent of non-elderly residents by income, who earned at least $356,000 in 2012, pay 7 percent of their income in state and local taxes on average. The lowest fifth, who make less than $18,000, pay 11.7 percent on average. Those in the middle, making between $34,000 and $56,000, pay 10.6 […]

Atlanta Black Star: Brutally Unfair Tax Structure Forces the Poor to Pay Twice As Much As the Rich

January 30, 2015

The culprit is the state and local taxes Americans pay on top of the federal taxes. While the federal taxes are relatively progressive, meaning they take a higher percentage from the wealthy than they do the poor and therefore try to address poverty and inequality, the federal efforts are swamped by state and local taxes […]

Forbes: Regressive Taxes Are Neither New Nor Good

January 30, 2015

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) released its annual “Who Pays” report. The report should be read by everyone in the state and local tax policy business. Once again, ITEP has found that state and local tax systems are decidedly regressive. In fact, ITEP concluded that the effective tax rate of the 20% […]

Politico: Gas Tax Talk Isn’t Just for the Feds

January 30, 2015

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill may struggle to even utter the words “gas tax hike” sometimes, but that’s not stopping action on the state level. At least a dozen states are seriously considering raising their gas taxes this year, according to Carl Davis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. That comes after eight states […]

Bangor Daily News: Roads in Maine–Well, Everywhere–Need More Than a 9-Month Fix

January 30, 2015

The result? The Highway Trust Fund — which pays for both road and transit improvements — faces a $161 billion shortfall by 2024, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that 78 percent of the shortfall is due to Congress’ inaction on the gas tax; 22 percent is […]

The Western Front: Keeping Tuition Prices on Ice

January 30, 2015

What it really comes down to is money and where that money comes from. Why doesn’t the legislature start by looking at how we collect taxes in Washington? According to a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, our state has the most regressive tax system in the nation. We’re one of […]

Seattle Times: Gov. Inslee’s Cap Gains Idea is DOA

January 30, 2015

The claim that Washington has the nation’s most unfair tax system comes from the liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which favors progressive tax policies. We may quibble about the rankings — these things aren’t easy to measure — but the institute is right: Washington’s tax burden falls more heavily on lower-income taxpayers. It’s […]

Open Sky Policy Institute: ‘Circuit breaker’ in LB 186 provides targeted property tax reductions

Property tax “circuit breakers” like the one proposed in LB 186 are a way to provide targeted tax reductions to those whose property taxes are high in relation to their incomes. They are called “circuit breakers” because the tax credits are triggered once property taxes reach a certain percentage of a person’s income, similar to […]

Mississippi Economic Policy Center: A State Earned Income Tax Credit: A Boost for Mississippi Families

Mississippi families are struggling to make ends meet despite working hard and playing by the rules. The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) gives many of these families the boost they need to be more financially secure. Mississippi can also enact a refundable state EITC to leverage the federal credit’s track record of encouraging work, […]

The Atlantic: Robin Hood in Reverse

January 28, 2015

But according to a new report from The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the impact of those federal tax breaks is largely offset by the burden of state and local taxes. Here’s how state and local taxes break down as a percentage of income: The richest Americans pay the least. The tax mix changes […]

Inter Press Service: Banks, Inequality and Citizens

January 27, 2015

Every day we receive striking data on major issues which should create tumult and action, but life goes on as if those data had nothing to do with people’s lives. Well, in a just-released report, the U.S. Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy notes that in 2015 the poorest one-fifth of Americans will pay on […]

The Hill: Tech Mounts Pre-Emptive Strike on Taxes

January 27, 2015

“Intangible income is so easily manipulated on paper,” said Matthew Gardner of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal group that has called out U.S. multinationals for what it sees as tax avoidance strategies. “You just can’t allow people to simply call it foreign income.” Read more

New Jersey Policy Perspective: Tax Increase to Fund Transportation Should Be Combined with Credit to Help Low-Income Families

As New Jersey policymakers close in on a deal to boost New Jersey’s transportation funding, a bold solution that raises at least $1 billion in new revenue a year through new gas taxes is essential if New Jersey wants to take advantage of one of its greatest economic assets – its location – and rebuild […]

Michigan League for Public Policy: Income Tax Cuts: Financially Irresponsible and No Economic Benefits

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. It is also fiscally irresponsible to reduce taxes when the state is facing a budget shortfall due to lower than expected revenues. In fact, most of the benefits […]

West Hawaii Today: How Progressive Is Our Tax System

January 26, 2015

On Jan. 15, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) released a report ranking the states in terms of how progressive their tax systems are. A “progressive” tax system is one that asks wealthier taxpayers to pay more of their income than poorer taxpayers. Most states rely upon some form of net income tax […]

St. Cloud Times: Tax Plan Is Fair, Sustains State’s Prosperity

January 26, 2015

A national study out this month confirms Minnesota is doing a better job at sharing the responsibility for paying for public services among all taxpayers than most other states in the U.S. The study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy assesses the fairness of state and local tax systems by measuring the state […]

The Journal Gazette: Progress on Regressive Taxes

January 26, 2015

Indiana has the 10th most regressive tax structure in the nation, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Households in the lowest percentile, excluding seniors, pay 12 percent of annual income on state and local taxes. The top 1 percent pay just 5.2 percent. Indiana’s flat income tax rate of 3.4 percent “taxes […]