Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

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6,242 posts

Minnesota Budget Project: Trump’s 2025 Tax Plans Would Hurt Everyday Americans

• By ITEP Staff

Trump tax plans – like extending most provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that are set to expire, special tax breaks for people who earn some kinds of income, or new corporate tax cuts – would provide the largest tax cuts to higher-income households and profitable corporations. Because the Trump tax plans are also very costly, they could add hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit every year and put health…

New York Times: Musk Suggests His Team Will Scrutinize Social Security and Entitlement Spending

March 11, 2025

Elon Musk, the world’s richest individual, suggested on Monday that his government cost-cutting team would scrutinize Social Security and other entitlement spending, describing the expenditures as rife with fraudulent transactions and repeating a conspiracy theory that Democrats were using the programs as a “gigantic magnet to attract illegal immigrants and have them stay in the […]

Business Insider: Starbucks Likely Avoided Taxes on $1.3 billion in Profit Using a Swiss Subsidiary, a New Report Finds

March 10, 2025

A little-known Starbucks subsidiary in Switzerland appears to have played a big role in how much the coffee chain paid over the last decade in taxes, according to a new report. On paper, Starbucks Coffee Trading Company, or SCTC, based in the Swiss Canton of Vaud, is responsible for sourcing unroasted coffee from countries like Colombia and Rwanda before it's used in beverages at Starbucks' cafés. It also oversees Starbucks' Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices program for ethical coffee…

Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research: Starbucks’ Swiss Scheme: ‘Fair’ Trading or Global Tax Dodge?

• By ITEP Staff

A new report from CICTAR alleges that hidden behind its ‘ethical’ sourcing of coffee beans, Starbucks engages in major global tax avoidance. The report estimates that at least $1.3 billion has been diverted via Starbucks’ Swiss subsidiary over the last decade. On paper only, all of Starbucks’ coffee – at least 3% of the global coffee bean trade – is purchased via a Swiss subsidiary. This entity, Starbucks Coffee Trading Company Sarl, has marked up…

Economic Policy Institute: What You Need to Know About Immigrant Workers

• By ITEP Staff

New fact sheets from the Economic Policy Institute illustrate the positive economic impact of immigrant workers in every state–and cite recent research on how much President Trump’s mass deportation agenda could cost states in tax revenue. Read more.

Washington Post: GOP Voucher Plan Would Divert Billions in Taxes to Private Schools

March 7, 2025

Congressional Republicans, backed by the White House, are pushing for a new tax credit that would direct billions of dollars a year to school voucher programs — and not just in conservative states. The program would be fueled by a powerful, never-before-tried incentive: Taxpayers who donate to voucher programs would get 100 percent of their money back when they file their taxes. That means the tax break for giving to voucher programs would dwarf tax…

The Bulwark: Trump Wants to Use the IRS to Track Down Immigrants. They May Stop Paying Taxes.

March 7, 2025

Immigrants in the country illegally paid nearly $100 billion in taxes in 2022, according to a report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic policy. But that source of government revenue may soon taper off as the Trump administration pushes the Internal Revenue Service to help it accelerate its program of mass deportations. The Washington Post reported Friday that the IRS rejected a request from Homeland Security to reveal the addresses of 700,000 people the…

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Maryland’s Tax Loophole for Billionaire Corporations Must End as Federal Cuts Loom for Working Families

• By ITEP Staff

Conservative revenue estimates released last month by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) project more than $700 million annually in new revenues for Maryland once you close the loophole that allows a small group of the world’s most aggressive global giants to dodge their responsibility to the people of Maryland.[10] These funds will help Maryland close its budget gap, respond effectively to the federal government’s financial threats, and enable important public investments in good…

Sen. Warren: Warren Slams Big Tech CEOs for Cozying Up to Trump Admin, Attempting to Score Billions in Tax Handouts at Working Families’ Expense

• By ITEP Staff

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla; Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon; Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple; and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, regarding the cumulative $75 billion in tax giveaways  — handed out at the expense of working families — that their companies could receive after cozying up to the Trump administration. 

American Journal of Managed Care: Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Fuels Health Crisis: Detention, Depression, Deportation, and Disease

• By ITEP Staff

The Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies are causing a public health crisis, marked by severe mental and physical health consequences for detained immigrants in overcrowded and unsafe detention centers, which places a substantial financial burden on the US health care system. Read more.

ProPublica: How DOGE’s Cuts to the IRS Threaten to Cost More Than DOGE Will Ever Save

March 5, 2025

The Trump administration claims gutting federal agencies will save money, but cutting the IRS means the government collects less taxes. “If you’re interested in the deficit and curbing it, why would you cut back on the revenue side?” one expert asks. Read more.

Sen. Sanders Delivers Livestreamed Response to President Trump’s Congressional Address

• By ITEP Staff

As most Americans know, we are living in a pivotal moment in American history – facing unprecedented challenges. How we respond to this moment will impact not only OUR lives, but the lives of our kids and grandchildren and, in terms of climate change, the very health and well-being of our planet. Read more.

Associated Press: Groceries Around the Country Remain Expensive. That’s Why More States Want to Stop Taxing Them

March 5, 2025

The number of states imposing sales taxes on groceries has shrunk over the years, and the number may decrease further in the coming months as lawmakers hear complaints about high prices for eggs and other household staples. Read more.

Testimony: ITEP’s Miles Trinidad on Maryland’s Budget Reconciliation Act of 2025

• By Miles Trinidad

This testimony was delivered to a joint session of Maryland’s House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees on February 27, 2025. Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on the Budget Reconciliation Act of 2025. My name is Miles Trinidad, and I’m a state analyst with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a […]

New Jersey Senator Singleton and Senate President Scutari Resolution Condemning Federal Efforts to Cut Funding

• By ITEP Staff

In response to the recent passage by the House of Representatives of a budget resolution that seeks to cut hundreds of billions in funding for programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee has passed a resolution from Senator Troy Singleton and Senate […]

Video: ITEP’s Matt Gardner Discusses Worldwide Combined Reporting with Yes! Magazine

March 3, 2025

ITEP Senior Fellow Matt Gardner recently spoke to Sonali Kolhatkar about how worldwide combined reporting can be used to crack down on corporate tax avoidance. You can watch the full video here.

Nashville Pride: Lawmakers Push to Repeal Tennessee Grocery Tax, Citing New Report

March 3, 2025

A new in-depth report is strengthening the push to eliminate Tennessee’s state sales tax on groceries without cutting essential public services. The analysis shows that closing corporate tax loopholes could generate nearly $900 million in revenue—enough to offset the cost of repealing the grocery tax entirely. Read more.

Audio: ITEP’s Neva Butkus Discusses Louisiana’s Tax System on Louisiana Public Radio

February 27, 2025

In a special legislative session late last year, Louisiana passed a sweeping overhaul to its tax system year that saw the state income tax slashed to a flat tax rate and increased the rates of the state sales tax. Some have said the new tax system is a very modest improvement, while others find it […]

Reuters: Fact Check: Undocumented Immigrants Can and Do Pay Taxes

February 27, 2025

Undocumented immigrants paid nearly $97 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022, according to a July 2024 report, opens new tab by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), which used data on taxpayers with ITINs to estimate tax revenue.

Testimony: ITEP’s Matt Gardner Discusses How to Improve Maryland’s Tax Code at House Ways & Means Committee Hearing

• By Matthew Gardner

ITEP Senior Fellow Matt Gardner submitted the written testimony below to Maryland’s House Ways & Means Committee on February 20, 2025. Video of his oral testimony is at the bottom of this post. Thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony. My name is Matthew Gardner. I am a senior fellow at the Institute […]

Bloomberg: Trump’s SALT Tax Promise Hinges on an Obscure Loophole

February 26, 2025

Over the coming months, President Donald Trump and his congressional allies will try to rewrite the nation’s tax laws, with promises of cuts for companies, workers and retirees. There are trillions of dollars on the line with those changes. But a certain segment of Americans will be focused on just one question: How much of their state and local taxes (SALT) will they be allowed to deduct?

USA Today: President Trump’s Social Security Changes So Far: 4 Things You Should Know

February 25, 2025

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to end federal taxation of Social Security retirement benefits. This isn't something he can do unilaterally. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the president and Republican lawmakers have discussed including this move in a budget package. But so far in his second term, President Trump has made some changes on his own that affect Social Security either directly or indirectly. Here are four things you…

Hawai’i Worldwide Combined Reporting Bill Cites ITEP Data

• By ITEP Staff

House Bill 116 in this year’s state legislative session in Hawai’i cites ITEP data on the revenue potential of worldwide combined reporting (WWCR). (For more on WWCR, read our recent report here.)

Florida Policy Institute: A Risky Proposition: Weakening Local Governments by Eliminating Property Tax Revenue

• By ITEP Staff

In Florida, the ability of local governments to raise revenue for operations is limited by the state constitution.[1] With the exception of fees, special assessments,[2] and the property tax, also known as an ad valorem tax, local governments are dependent on the Legislature and state laws for authority to levy other forms of taxation and raise revenue. Consequently, as a matter of fiscal management and local autonomy, the property tax is paramount. Considering recent policy proposals to…

Maine Center for Economic Policy: Proposed Medicaid Cuts Put Maine Families’ Incomes At Risk

• By ITEP Staff

Proposed Medicaid cuts could affect over 400,000 Mainers, especially children, older adults, and families with low income, reducing access to essential health care and economic stability. Read more.