Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

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6,242 posts

NC Policy Watch: North Carolina can make tax system more fair by reinstating its state Earned Income Tax Credit

• By ITEP Staff

It comes as no surprise to working families that North Carolina’s tax system is fundamentally unfair. Families who make less than $47,000 a year pay, on average, nearly 2 times more of their income in state and local taxes than those making more than $345,000. But taxpayers don’t have to accept this fundamental unfairness. One […]

Voices for Illinois Children: Double the EITC to Make Illinois Taxes Fairer (Among Other Great Things)

• By ITEP Staff

The more money you make in Illinois, the lower share of it you pay in state and local taxes. If that sounds unfair, that’s because it is. In fact, low- and middle-income workers pay, on average, two to three times the percentage of their income in state and local taxes that the wealthiest Illinoisans pay. […]

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: State EITC Would Make a Regressive Tax System Fairer

• By ITEP Staff

Previous posts have described how a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) would help working low-income Kentuckians make ends meet and reach every corner of the state. A state EITC would also make the tax system fairer, as shown in a new report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). Kentucky’s tax system […]

Louisiana Budget Project: Increasing EITC improves tax fairness, reduces poverty, invests in children

• By ITEP Staff

Efforts to modestly raise the minimum wage in Louisiana failed this legislative session — even though the wage isn’t high enough to keep a full-time worker with a child out of poverty. But some opponents of giving the lowest-paid workers a raise have suggested another pro-work, anti-poverty policy as an alternative: increasing the value of […]

Maine Center for Economic Policy: Statement at Hearing on L.D. 1664, An Act To Encourage Charitable Contributions to Nonprofit Organizations

• By ITEP Staff

Honorable Senator Haskell, Representative Goode, members of the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation, I am Garrett Martin, Executive Director of the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP). I am here today to speak in opposition to LD 1664. Since 2011, Maine’s tax code has gotten less, not more, fair. Reductions to the top income tax […]

The Star Ledger: NJ Millionaires Tax Could Help Plug Budget Hole

May 22, 2014

By Star-Ledger Editorial Board, May 20, 2014 Gov. Chris Christie has promised to announce a plan this week to put our state budget on life support. He’s suggested he will do whatever it takes — politics be damned — to close the $807 million hole we are facing: “Everything is on the table to balance […]

East Bay Express: Health Care for All?

May 21, 2014

Undocumented Californians also paid about $2.7 billion in taxes, including property, sales, and income taxes, in 2010, according to the most recent annual estimate available from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. "There's this misconception that undocumented people are 'takers' -- that they're benefiting from public benefits but not contributing," said Daniel Zingale, senior vice president of The California Endowment, which has embarked on a multimillion-dollar campaign -- also named "Health for All" --…

Connecticut Voices for Children: Making Children Visible in Connecticut’s Tax Code

• By ITEP Staff

This issue brief from the Fiscal Policy Center at Connecticut Voices for Children identifies a feature of the Connecticut tax system that effectively penalizes households with children, relative to households without kids. Across the country, nearly all states that have enacted an income tax have also enacted some form of tax exemption, deduction or credit […]

The Daily Review: An Overlooked Source of Revenue

May 19, 2014

“Editorial, May 18, 2014 Faced with growing budget deficit partially of its own making, the Corbett administration likely will retreat from its previously planned 3.7 percent increase in state spending this election year and move instead to cut about $800 million from its tentative budget proposal. It’s not yet known whether that will mean a […]

Transportation Topics: Gas Tax Buying Power at All-Time Low in Some States

May 19, 2014

By Michael Fuetsch, May 19, 2014 The gasoline tax is so low and has not been raised for so long in 10 states, that the levy’s purchasing power has fallen to historic lows, a new study said. States where this has occurred are Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Carolina, Utah, and […]

The Star-Ledger: NJ’s Gas Tax Cut in Half When Adjusted for Inflation

May 19, 2014

By Alex Napoliello, May 19, 2014 New Jersey’s gas tax is at an all-time low. That may not be a surprise for those who have been following a recent proposal to raise the tax. But what may be a shock is that the state’s gas tax is almost half of what it was in 1927. […]

The Gazette: Iowa Ranks Low for Keeping up with Gas Tax

May 19, 2014

By B.A. Morellie, May 19, 2014 A new report shows Iowa is one of 10 states where the gas tax, when considering inflation, is at a historic low. The report was critical of falling behind on the gas tax, saying the tax supports roads and transportation infrastructure, and many states are falling behind. “This isn’t […]

Connecticut Voices for Children: Pro-Family Tax Reform in Connecticut: A Roadmap for Improvement

• By ITEP Staff

This report from the Fiscal Policy Center at Connecticut Voices for Children compares Connecticut’s tax system to those of other states and finds: Connecticut is nearly alone among states in not making broad-based tax adjustments for families with dependent children.  More than half of states with an income tax (24 of 41 states) offset the […]

The Missouri Budget Project: Senate-Approved Tax Scheme Would Cost Nearly $800 Million SB 509 Would Require Cuts to Critical Services

• By ITEP Staff

The Missouri Senate approved Senate Bill 509 this week. The measure would require sharp cuts to state services, undermining Missouri’s economy by starving it of the resources it needs to offer quality education from preschool to college, a state of the art infrastructure, and safe, healthy and stable communities. Moreover, the minor tax reduction for […]

Michigan League for Public Policy: Testimony to the Senate Finance Committee on SB 402

• By ITEP Staff

The Michigan League for Public Policy opposes Senate Bill 402. Across‐the‐board cuts in the state’s personal income tax will not create jobs or grow the economy in Michigan. They could, however, affect long-term prosperity by locking in cuts in funding for public schools, colleges and universities, and local communities—the very services and public structures that […]

Michigan League for Public Policy: Testimony to the House Tax Policy Committee on HB 5265-5267

• By ITEP Staff

The Michigan League for Public Policy opposes House Bills 5265, 5266, and 5267 because across-the-board cuts in the state’s personal income tax will not create jobs or grow Michigan’s economy. In fact, revenue reductions associated with income tax reductions could affect long-term prosperity by locking in cuts in funding for colleges and universities, local communities, […]

Michigan League for Public Policy: Slicing Up the Income Tax Cut Proposal

• By ITEP Staff

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. In fact, most of the benefits of a cut in the state’s personal income tax from 4.25% to 3.9% would flow to Michigan’s wealthiest taxpayers, according to an […]

Georgia Budget & Policy Institute: Georgia Lawmakers Still Flirting With Dangerous Tax Shift Ideas

• By ITEP Staff

The debate over changing Georgia’s tax system is quieter than usual at the Georgia General Assembly this year. Still, some efforts are afoot to push Georgia in a radical tax direction over time. Two resolutions gaining traction would put new tax restrictions in the state constitution. Senate Resolutions 412 and 415, sponsored by Senate Pro […]

DC Fiscal Policy Institute: Making DC’s Tax System Fair: Progress in the 2015 Budget

• By ITEP Staff

Most DC residents — like most Americans — agree that income tax rates should be graduated by income. Low-income households should pay the lowest rate, so that there is an incentive to work and they can support their basic needs. This kind of progressive approach also means tax rates get higher as incomes rise and […]

Des Moines Register: Iowa Fuel Tax Hits Low

May 12, 2014

By Jason Noble, May 10, 2014 “Iowa is one of 10 states in which fuel taxes have hit an inflation-adjusted “all-time low,” according to a report issued last week by a Washington think tank. The state’s current 19 cents per gallon tax on fuel has been in place since 1989. Inflation over that time, though, […]

Politico: What’s Happening in the States?

May 12, 2014

(Original Post) Morning Tax, May 9, 2014 The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has a new report that finds that ten states have record-low gas tax rates when inflation is factored in. The South Carolina gas tax, for example, has been at 16 cents a gallon for more than a quarter-century, even longer than […]

Reflejos: Undocument Immigrants Contribute Billions in Taxes

May 12, 2014

  Editorial, May 11, 2014 Death and taxes, according to Benjamin Franklin, are the only things in life that are certain. And despite the prevailing myth perpetrated by nativist groups, there are plenty of undocumented immigrants facing the certainty of taxes every single year. … One way that undocumented immigrants already pay taxes is through […]

Politico: What’s Next for That Ca. CEO Pay Bill?

May 12, 2014

Morning Tax, May 12, 2014 Matthew Gardner, the executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said while the bill highlights “two vital problems we ought to fix — excessive CEO pay and underpayment of corporate taxes,” if it did somehow pass, it’s easy to picture what would happen next in offices across […]

The Baltimore Sun: The Tax They’re Not Talking About

May 12, 2014

By the Editorial Board, May 12, 2014 With varying degrees of aggressiveness and specificity, all seven candidates for governor are pledging to change Maryland’s tax code. The ideas range from eliminating the income tax altogether (Republicans David Craig and Charles Lollar) to raising taxes on millionaires and multi-state corporations to pay for cuts for small […]

North Carolina Justice Center: Raising the Bar in the Budget Debate

• By ITEP Staff

The Legislature’s upcoming budget debate is an opportunity to change the state’s direction and ensure a stronger recovery from the Great Recession. To do so, policymakers must make the critical investments needed to alleviate the economic struggles of North Carolina families, create pathways to the middle class, and strengthen communities across the state. Read the […]