Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

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6,242 posts

Open Sky Policy Institute: “Real Taxpayers of Nebraska” and cutting the top income tax rate

• By ITEP Staff

In this “Real Taxpayers” infographic, we examine what cutting Nebraska’s top personal income tax rate to 5.75% would mean for our tax payers. The cut would result in a $156 million revenue loss for the state, which is close to the amount of revenue the state would gain under the sales tax base expansion we […]

The Daily Californian: Rights for all, not for some

October 15, 2013

(Original Post) STATE ISSUES: Legislation focused on undocumented Californians who aren’t perfect will aid millions more and address painful stigmas. BY SENIOR EDITORIAL BOARD | STAFFLAST UPDATED OCTOBER 11, 2013 Legislation aimed at immigration reform often focuses on granting rights to undocumented Americans who are exceptionally accomplished individuals. Just recently, California passed a bill that […]

The Seattle Times: Lawmakers at packed hearing told to pass transportation plan

October 15, 2013

  By Mike Lindblom Seattle Times transportation reporter A spectrum of transit riders, construction workers, business owners, pedestrians, bicyclists, freight carriers and government officials on Monday night urged state lawmakers to pass a multibillion-dollar transportation package. The hearing, at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Seattle, drew 450 people, including yellow-shirted transit activists and orange-shirted construction […]

Bangor Daily News: Higher Sales Tax Hurts Maine’s Poor

October 15, 2013

(Original Post) The Left in Maine take pride in their self-proclaimed “caring for the poor.” However, rhetoric aside, their actions speak louder than their words. Earlier this year, the Democratically-controlled legislature enacted a budget, over Governor LePage’s veto, that raised the sales tax by 10 percent (to 5.5 percent from 5 percent) and the meals […]

USA Today: The most tax-friendly states for business

October 15, 2013

(Original Post) Charley Blaine, 24/7 Wall St. 11 a.m. EDT October 12, 2013 Taxes are necessary for a functioning government, but according to one group, many states are crippling regional business growth with tax structures that are too expensive or complex. The Tax Foundation’s 2014 State Business Tax Climate Index graded all 50 states based […]

The Economist: How can America pay for its roads?

October 15, 2013

(Original Post) Oct 14th 2013, 23:50 by T.N. | LOS ANGELES THE fuel efficiency of American vehicles has shot up in recent years, thanks to a blend of government mandates, environmental concerns and consumer fashion. By 2025 new vehicles must, by law, run at an average efficiency of 54.5 miles per gallon. That is good […]

Politico: Arthur Laffer is back as GOP tax man

October 15, 2013

  By RACHAEL BADE | 10/14/13 11:03 PM EDT Four decades ago at the Washington Hotel, a quirky economist made a pitch on the back of a napkin to Ford administration officials Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld: Cutting taxes would create an economic boom. Back then, many Republicans opposed tax cuts, but that famous “Laffer […]

Reno News and Review: Nevada socks it to the working poor

October 10, 2013

(Original Post) By Dennis Myers  dennism@newsreview.com There is a 6.6 percent difference in the amount paid in state and local taxes by families at the top of Nevada’s economy when compared to those at the bottom, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a Washington, D.C., research organization. The 20 percent lowest […]

Boise Weekly: Business Leaders Push Political Leaders on Immigration

October 9, 2013

  As the immigration debate drags on, industry advocates for reform by Carissa Wolf Immigration equals big business at El Centro bank in Nampa. Latin radio hits mingle in the background as agents and tellers welcome immigrant farm hands and factory workers with a familiar, “Hola! ¿Como estas?” Some customers hold Green Cards; from time […]

The Hill: Paying the price for 20 years of duct-taping our infrastructure

October 9, 2013

(Original Post) By Terry O’Sullivan – 10/08/13 05:32 PM ET With much of the focus on the government shutdown and its potential impact on the economy, a critical cost of congressional polarization and paralysis has been overshadowed: Our nation is literally falling apart. Leaders in Congress received a roll of duct tape from the Laborers’ […]

Politico: The Gas Tax’s Silver Anniversary Present

October 7, 2013

Original Post September 25, 2013 by Kevin Robillard Morning Transportation THE GAS TAX’S SILVER ANNIVERSARY PRESENT: One week before the 20th anniversary of the gas tax being set at 18.3 cents per gallon, the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy is out with a new report on fixing the tax for the future. The core […]

Colorado Fiscal Institute: Amendment 66 will Improve Colorado’s Income Tax

• By ITEP Staff

Amendment 66 will restore Colorado’s ability to raise enough revenue to meet our schools’ growing needs and make the income tax more like those of our neighboring states, all without overburdening Coloradans. From the adoption of the income tax in 1937 through 1986, Colorado used a “tiered” income tax, where tax rates rose along with […]

Real Change: Study finds Washington’s tax system is the nation’s most regressive

October 3, 2013

(Original Post) October 2, 2013 Vol: 20 No: 40 by: Aaron Burkhalter , Staff Reporter     Washington’s poorest people pay the highest taxes in the entire country. According to a study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Washington state’s least affluent residents pay 16.9 percent of their income in state and local […]

Green Car Reports: Gas Tax Unchanged For 20 Years Today; Road Costs, However…

October 1, 2013

(Original Post) BY  Stephen Edelstein Oct 1, 2013 Taxes on gasoline and diesel make up 85 percent of the revenue flowing into the United States’ transportation spending account, but that may change. Soon, the gas tax may not provide enough revenue to fund the nation’s transportation spending, a new report from the Institute on Taxation […]

National Journal: Happy 20th, Gas Tax!

October 1, 2013

(Original Post) By Fawn Johnson September 30, 2013 On Oct. 1, the 18.4 cent-per-gallon federal gas tax is 20 years old. And it is likely to remain at that level until it is old enough to drink. The current gas tax rate is not nearly enough to cover the cost of maintaining the roads and […]

Governing: Is Earmarking the Best Way to Fund Projects?

September 30, 2013

(Original Post) It’s not black and white, but understanding the pros and cons increases your chances of coming to the right answer for a particular project. BY: KATHERINE BARRETT & RICHARD GREENE | OCTOBER 2013 There are many issues in government management where things aren’t black and white, where gray is the color of the […]

The Atlantic: We Could Fix America’s Highways If Every Driver Kicked In an Extra $4.66 Per Month

September 26, 2013

(Original Post) ERIC JAFFESEP 25, 2013 Don’t let the instinctive uproar over high gas costs fool you: Americans should be paying more to drive. But “more” is a vague and relative word. Exactly how much more would it take to cover the costs of road maintenance and construction in the United States? The Institute on […]

Oregon Center for Public Policy: A Grandly Flawed Bargain

• By ITEP Staff

The revenue package that Governor Kitzhaber has presented to the Oregon legislature to consider in a special session starting September 30 suffers from three major flaws: revenue shrinks after the current budget period, it’s mainly a tax cut for some of Oregon’s wealthiest 1 percent, and it won’t create any jobs, despite what its proponents […]

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center: After the Tech Tax Repeal- Remembering the Big Picture

• By ITEP Staff

The FY 2014 budget included new investments in our transportation system, in education, and in other areas. Part of the funding for these came from a “tech tax,” which is likely to be repealed without being replaced by an ongoing revenue source. This report explores some of the ways we might in the future fund […]

PR Newswire: Congress, Not Fuel-Efficient Cars, to Blame for Transportation Funding Shortfall

September 24, 2013

(Original Post) Sept. 24, 2013, 8:15 a.m. EDT WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — New ITEP Report Shows Obsolete Gas Tax Has Cost $215 Billion, Undermined Infrastructure and Added to Deficit On October 1, the federal gas tax will mark exactly twenty years stuck at the rate of 18.4 cents per gallon. Against […]

The Fiscal Times: You Won’t Believe Which State Taxes Its Poor the Most

September 24, 2013

(Original Post) BETH BRAVERMAN The Fiscal Times  September 23, 2013 Washington State may have one of the lowest overall tax burdens in the country, but its poorest citizens pay more than residents of any other state. The poorest 20 percent of Washington residents pay 16.9 percent of their income in taxes, while the top 1 […]

Center for American Progess: The Real Cost of Cuccinelli

• By ITEP Staff

Besides working on these major research projects, I developed CTJ/ITEP’s strong online media presence. One of the most important roles I play is as the primary web manager for both CTJ and ITEP. Similarly, over the past two years I successfully initiated and then maintained CTJ and ITEP’s social media presence. Center for American Progress […]

Open Sky Policy Institute: A golden opportunity for tax changes

• By ITEP Staff

  After analyzing options for tax changes put forth by the Tax Modernization Committee, we believe some present a real opportunity to strengthen Nebraska and its economy. Ideas that the committee will discuss at upcoming public hearings that start Monday in Scottsbluff would bolster investments in education, health care and public safety as well as […]

Washington Post: The state that taxes the poor the most is… a blue one

September 23, 2013

(Original Post) By Niraj Chokshi, Published: September 21 at 10:00 am The state that easily handed President Obama a victory last November while passing voter-approved referendums legalizing same-sex marriage and marijuana consumption also happens to have the nation’s highest tax burden on the poor. Poor families in Washington state pay 16.9 percent of their total […]

Media Matters: Conservative Media’s Misplaced Hysteria Over Immigrants And Welfare

September 23, 2013

(Original Post) Blog ››› September 18, 2013 6:04 PM EDT ››› SOLANGE UWIMANA Right-wing media have seized on a report noting that American children in Los Angeles County with undocumented parents are receiving millions in benefits to revive the spurious smear that undocumented immigrants come to this country only to receive welfare. However, these outlets […]