Carl Davis
Research Director
Areas of Expertise
cannabis taxes dynamic scoring e-commerce taxes education tax credits emerging trends in state tax policy state and federal gas tax supply-side economicsCarl is the research director at ITEP, where he has worked since 2008. Carl works on a wide range of issues related to both state and federal tax policy. He has advised policymakers, researchers, and advocates on tax policy issues in nearly every state. Much of his work relates to the link between taxes and economic growth, and the shortcomings of dynamic scoring and supply-side economic theories.
Carl is a leading expert on the funding of transportation infrastructure. His analyses of state and federal gas tax policy have helped to illuminate why the nation’s infrastructure revenues are insufficient, and how gas taxes could be reformed to improve their long-run sustainability.
As ITEP’s research director, Carl is responsible for exploring new and emerging trends in tax policy. In this role, he has authored reports on proposals to legalize and tax cannabis sales, to implement vehicle-miles-traveled taxes, to update the tax treatment of the “gig economy,” and to improve the enforcement of sales taxes as they relate to online shopping.
Carl has also conducted extensive research into private school tax credits. That research helped reveal the profitable tax shelters that these credits created for some upper-income donors to private schools and contributed to the creation of a new IRS regulation cracking down on those shelters.
Prior to assuming the role of research director, Carl worked as an analyst for ITEP and used its proprietary microsimulation tax model to perform tax incidence and revenue analyses for lawmakers and advocates across the country. Carl also previously worked as part of the State Economic Issues team at AARP. He holds bachelor’s degrees in both economics and political science from Virginia Tech and a Master’s in Public Policy from George Washington University.
Follow Carl on Twitter @carlpdavis
carl at itep.orgRecent Publications and Posts view more
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Attacks on Voting Rights, Secret Tax-Cut Negotiations in Arizona Reflect Broader Trend to Undermine Democracy
The onslaught of news about multiple states introducing or passing legislation to make it harder to vote is a clear signal that our democracy is in crisis. Decades of policymaking and judicial rulings have created a system in which the voices of the wealthy and powerful have more weight, and some lawmakers are determined to further rig the system and keep it that way.
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Arizonans Voted to Tax the Rich. Now Lawmakers Want to Undo Most of That.
In 2018, Arizona teachers took part in a national wave of teacher walkouts, protesting inadequate education funding and some of the lowest teacher pay in the nation—direct results of the state’s penchant for deep tax cuts and its decision to levy some of the lowest tax rates in the country on high-income families.
Media Mentions view more
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Marketplace: Why are some states experiencing a tax revenue surplus?
But according to Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, no one is swimming in…
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New York Times: Why a $10,000 Tax Deduction Could Hold Up Trillions in Stimulus Funds
There's no debate that the SALT deduction goes mostly to wealthier taxpayers. About 85% of its benefits accrue to the…