Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Colorado

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State Rundown 1/19: ITEP Provides a Roadmap for Equitable Tax Goals in 2023

• By ITEP Staff

State legislatures are buzzing as leaders and lawmakers jockey to advance their 2023 goals...

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How Many States Have a Flat Income Tax?

• By ITEP Staff

Two-thirds of states with broad-based personal income tax structures have a graduated rate, while one-third have flat taxes.

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The Pitfalls of Flat Income Taxes

• By Carl Davis, Eli Byerly-Duke

Flat taxes have some surface appeal but come with significant disadvantages. Critically, a flat tax guarantees that wealthy families’ total state and local tax bill will be a lower share of their income than that paid by families of more modest means.

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State Rundown 1/11: Governors Ready to Talk Tax in 2023 State Addresses

• By ITEP Staff

Governors have begun their annual trek to the podium in statehouses across the U.S. to lay out their visions for 2023, and so far, taxes look like they will play a major role in debates throughout state legislative sessions...

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State Rundown 12/15: State Priorities for 2023 Begin to Take Shape

• By ITEP Staff

State leaders have begun to release budget projections for 2023 and a familiar theme has emerged once again: big revenue surpluses, which have many state lawmakers pushing for another round of tax cuts despite the monumental challenges that we as a country face that call for sustainable revenues...

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State Child Tax Credits and Child Poverty: A 50-State Analysis

• By Aidan Davis

Regardless of future Child Tax Credit developments at the federal level, state policies can supplement the federal credit to deliver additional benefits to children and families. State credits can be specifically tailored to meet the needs of local populations while also producing long-term benefits for society as a whole

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State Rundown 11/10: Midterm Madness

• By ITEP Staff

As states continue to tally the remaining votes and the news stories roll out at a breakneck pace, the unofficial results of the 2022 midterm elections have brought with it significant changes across the state tax policy landscape...

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Election Day in the States: Voters Deliver Important Victories for Tax Justice

• By Jon Whiten

Voters in Massachusetts and Colorado raised taxes on their wealthiest residents to fund schools, public transportation and school lunches for kids while making their tax codes more equitable. And voters in West Virginia defeated a proposal to deeply cut taxes, mostly for businesses, and drain the coffers of county and local governments.

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State Rundown 11/2: Midterms on the Mind

• By ITEP Staff

Next Tuesday, voters will head to the polls to not only elect local and national leaders, but also let their voices be heard on a range of tax policy issues that could improve or worsen their state tax codes...

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Measures on the November Ballot Could Improve or Worsen State Tax Codes

• By Jon Whiten

In a couple of weeks, voters in a handful of states will weigh in on several tax-related ballot measures that could make state tax codes more equitable and raise money for public services, or take states in the opposite direction, making tax systems less fair and draining state coffers of dollars needed to maintain critical […]

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State Rundown 10/5: Forecasting Ain’t Easy

• By ITEP Staff

Although the weather is beginning to cool down in parts of the country, the same cannot be said for many state economies, which are still running hot. That, however, doesn’t mean that the good times are guaranteed to last...

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State Rundown 9/21: Earth, Wind, Fire & Taxes Edition

• By ITEP Staff

Do you remember/the big tax news innn September? Well, if not, we at ITEP got you covered...

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Boosting Incomes and Improving Tax Equity with State Earned Income Tax Credits in 2022

• By Aidan Davis

States continued their recent trend of advancing EITCs in 2022, with nine states plus the District of Columbia either creating or improving their credits. Utah enacted a 15 percent nonrefundable EITC, while the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Vermont and Virginia expanded existing credits. Meanwhile, Connecticut, New York and Oregon provided one-time boosts to their EITC-eligible populations.

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More States are Boosting Economic Security with Child Tax Credits in 2022

• By Aidan Davis

After years of being limited in reach, there is increasing momentum at the state level to adopt and expand Child Tax Credits. Today ten states are lifting the household incomes of families with children through yearly multi-million-dollar investments in the form of targeted, and usually refundable, CTCs.

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National and State-by-State Estimates of Two Approaches to Expanding the Child Tax Credit

• By Emma Sifre, Joe Hughes, Steve Wamhoff

The Romney Child Tax Credit plan would leave a quarter of children worse off compared to current law and help half as many low-income children as the 2021 expansion of the credit.

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State Rundown 8/10: States Still Talking Taxes as IRA Dominates Headlines

• By ITEP Staff

While federal tax policy has dominated the headlines with the Senate’s recent approval of the Inflation Reduction Act, lawmakers in statehouses across the country...

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State Rundown 7/27: It’s (Sales Tax) Holiday Season, But Who’s Really Celebrating?

• By ITEP Staff

It’s the holiday season – well, the sales tax holiday season, that is. But after taking a closer look, you may notice that there is little to celebrate...

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State Rundown 6/8: Tax Policy Features Prominently During Budget and Primary Season

• By ITEP Staff

As voters head to the polls to weigh in on their state’s primary elections and legislators convene to hash out budget deals, tax policy remains atop the agenda...

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State Rundown 5/11: Mid-Year Special Elections and Primary Season Kicks Off with Taxes in the Spotlight

• By ITEP Staff

As 2022 inches closer to its midpoint, important tax policy decisions are being put in the hands of voters, as special elections and the primary season begin...

The Center Square: States That Legalized Marijuana Are Bringing in More Tax Revenue on Marijuana Sales than Alcoho

May 10, 2022

A majority of the states that legalized recreational marijuana for recreational use are collecting more tax revenue from pot sales than alcohol sales. The first two states to legalize pot are profiting the most, Colorado and Washington. Across the country, the total revenue for taxes on weed amounted to nearly $3 billion, according to a report on […]

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State Rundown 4/27: States Remain Active on the Tax Front

• By ITEP Staff

While tax discussions among federal lawmakers continue in fits and starts, major tax news continues to make waves across the nation...

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Cannabis Taxes Outraised Alcohol by 20 Percent in States with Legal Sales Last Year

• By Carl Davis

In 2021, the 11 states that allowed legal sales within their borders raised nearly $3 billion in  cannabis excise tax revenue, an increase of 33 percent compared to a year earlier. While the tax remains a small part of state budgets, it’s beginning to eclipse other “sin taxes” that states have long had on the books.

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Public Problems Demand Public Solutions

• By Amy Hanauer

Long-term troubles for this country and this planet now demand our attention. Progressive tax policy would transform our ability to tackle them.

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State Rundown 3/2: State Tax News When You Need It

• By ITEP Staff

ITEP is happy to announce the launch of our new State Tax Watch page, where you can find out about the most up-to-date tax proposals and permanent legislative changes happening across the country...

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Federal EITC Enhancements Help More Than One in Three Young Workers

• By Aidan Davis

More than one in three young adults would benefit from workers without children being eligible to receive the federal EITC. This policy change would bolster young adults’ economic security.