Iowa
State Tax Codes As Poverty Fighting Tools
September 19, 2013 • By Meg Wiehe
New Census Bureau data released this month show that the share of Americans living in poverty remains high, despite other signs of economic recovery. The national 2012 poverty rate of 15 percent is essentially unchanged since 2010 , but still 2.5 percentage points higher than pre-recession levels. This means that in 2012, 46.5 million, or about 1 in 6 Americans, lived in poverty.1 The poverty rate in most states also held steady with five states experiencing an increase in either the number or share of residents living in poverty while only two states saw a decline.2
US News & World Report: Immigration Reform Could Boost U.S. Economy
August 21, 2013
(Original Post) Study shows immigration bill would create 14,000 jobs in each congressional district By LAUREN FOX August 20, 2013 Opponents to immigration reform have called the Senate’s bipartisan and comprehensive immigration reform bill a “job killer,” but a new report by the conservative-leaning American Action Network, is evidence that the bill might just be […]
A Closer Look at TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights)
August 19, 2013 • By ITEP Staff
Colorado has become infamous for its Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR, a constitutional amendment restricting growth in revenue collections to an arbitrary "population-plus-inflation" formula. Although TABOR has had significant negative effects on Colorado's finances, similar proposals have surfaced in at least 30 states over the past decade. None of these proposals were approved, and in five states they were placed directly on a state-wide ballot where they were rejected by voters. Even in Colorado itself, citizens voted to suspend TABOR for five years in an effort to allow the s
Tax Incentives: Costly for States, Drag on the Nation
August 14, 2013 • By Carl Davis
Tax incentives are intended to spur economic growth that would not have otherwise occurred. More specifically, these narrowly targeted tax breaks are usually offered in an attempt to convince businesses to relocate, hire, and/or invest within a state's borders.
McClatchy-Tribune: States expand sales tax holidays beyond back-to-school items
July 22, 2013
Many states with back-to-school sales tax “holidays” are expanding them to cover almost any purchase, in addition to the usual kids’ clothing, shoes, books and school supplies. As schools and students replace ink and paper with pixels, some states are expanding their holidays to cover sales taxes on low-cost computers and tablets. These electronics […]
US News & World Report: Immigration Reform Would Boost Tax Revenues
July 10, 2013
(Original Post) States with no sales tax have the most to gain from immigration reform By LAUREN FOX July 10, 2013 The economic impact of legalizing 11 million immigrants who entered the country illegally is one of the main stumbling blocks keeping some fiscally conservative lawmakers from backing any path to citizenship. A new study […]
Stateline: States Expand Sales Tax Holidays Beyond Back-to-School Items
July 10, 2013
(Original Post) By Elaine S. Povich, Staff Writer A crowd of about 100 line up outside of the Apple Store in the Saddle Creek shopping center in Germantown, Tenn., to get a head start on last year’s tax free weekend. (AP) Many states with back-to-school sales tax “holidays” are expanding them to cover almost […]
The Barre Montpelier Times Argus: Kids count
June 28, 2013
June 28,2013 Once again Vermont finished high in the ranking of children’s well-being released earlier this week by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The foundation’s Kids Count survey of the states measures children’s well-being in 16 categories relating to economic well-being, health, education and family and community. These include categories such as the number […]
US News & World Report: What’s the Matter with Kansas’ Tax Policy?
June 18, 2013
(Original Post) By Pat GarofaloJune 13, 2013 Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has presided over one of the most rightward lurches of any state in the nation, on issues such as health care, abortion and education. But the crown jewel of his administration has been a package of cuts to Kansas’ income tax – the […]
US News & World Report: What’s the Matter with Kansas’ Tax Policy?
June 18, 2013
(Original Post) By Pat GarofaloJune 13, 2013 Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has presided over one of the most rightward lurches of any state in the nation, on issues such as health care, abortion and education. But the crown jewel of his administration has been a package of cuts to Kansas’ income tax – the […]
The Progressive Pulse: Blowhard lobbyist for corporations and the rich in town to promote tax increases on average North Carolinians
May 17, 2013
(Original Post) Post on May 16, 2013 by Rob Schofield How low have things sunk in the Raleigh policy debate? This low: A front group for corporations and greedy billionaires is bringing a has-been Washington lobbyist to town to promote higher taxes on poor and middle class North Carolinians and some are calling it a […]
The Dallas Morning News: Texas Legislature weighs change to power companies’ ‘phantom taxes’
May 2, 2013
(Original Post) By JAMES OSBORNE Staff Writer [email protected] Published: 01 May 2013 08:56 PM Updated: 01 May 2013 09:01 PM It’s an arcane corner of state law through which utility corporations nationwide can charge their customers for federal taxes they never paid. And under a bill moving through the Texas Legislature, power companies that do […]
Laffer’s New Job Growth Factoid is All Rhetoric and No Substance
February 27, 2013 • By Carl Davis
A new talking point printed on the opinion page of The Wall Street Journal is proving irresistible to state lawmakers looking for an excuse to reduce or eliminate their states' income taxes: A new analysis by economist Art Laffer for the American Legislative Exchange Council finds that, from 2002 to 2012, 62% of the three million net new jobs in America were created in the nine states without an income tax, though these states account for only about 20% of the national population.
The Daily Iowan: Raise the gas tax to increase revenue
February 22, 2013
(Original Post) BY DI EDITORIAL BOARD | FEBRUARY 22, 2013 5:00 AM The Iowa Legislature has considered a proposal that would increase by 10 cents Iowa’s motor-fuel tax, more commonly called the gas tax. This proposal is politically unpopular, given that gases prices are relatively high and the economy has not fully recovered. However, as […]
Roth & Company: How progressive can state taxes be?
January 17, 2013
(Original Post) November 19th, 2009 by Joe Kristan The Iowa Fiscal Partnership has generated some headlines by passing around their take on a new study by The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: Study says Iowa tax system unfair to poor Report: Iowa tax code favors wealthiest residents Report: Iowa tax system hurts low and […]
Iowa Fiscal Partnership: Putting Fairness First: Questions for Financing State and Local Government in Iowa
January 15, 2013
As state legislators close out the 2008 legislative session and confront the tasks of maintaining commitments and investing in Iowa’s future, they will have to deal with a basic question: How is the budget gap to be financed? Each financing decision has a different set of consequences for Iowans at different income levels. This means […]
Iowa Policy Project: Undocumented Immigrants in Iowa: Estimated Tax Contributions and Fiscal Impact
January 14, 2013
This report examines undocumented immigrants in Iowa and their state tax contributions. Undocumented immigration remains a controversial issue in the United States, especially as the failure of federal immigration legislation has contributed to what the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) describes as “an unprecedented level of activity” in state legislative bodies as states seek […]
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Wisconsin’s tax burden gets lighter but not for all
January 8, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) By Dave Umhoefer of the Journal SentinelPosted: April 12, 2010 | At the end of last year, one Midwestern state emerged carrying its lightest total tax burden since the early 1960s. Only six states nationwide saw a bigger drop in the percentage of taxpayer income taken for government spending over an […]
Toledo Blade: Revisit Ohio’s tax cuts
January 7, 2013
(PDF of the Original Post) By ZACH SCHILLER THE State of Ohio, you may have heard, has a budget problem. The state budget will be billions of dollars short in the two years that start next July 1. It’s easy to attribute this problem to the economy, and that’s certainly part of it. But a […]
Missouri Record: ‘Fair Tax’ Anything But Fair
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) November 18, 2010 08:00 AM An issue likely to be debated in the 2011 Missouri Legislative Session is the proposal to replace state income tax—both individual and corporate—with a greatly expanded sales tax. Proponents of the legislation refer to it as the “fair tax,” but Missourians should think twice because it […]
St. Louis Business Journal: Missouri would not fare well under “fair tax”
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) by Amy Blouin Date: Friday, December 3, 2010, 5:00am CST If there’s an issue “most likely to be debated” in the 2011 Missouri legislative session, it’s a proposal to replace state income taxes – both individual and corporate — with a greatly expanded sales tax. Proponents refer to it as the […]
The Iowa Independent: Report: Iowa tax code favors wealthiest residents
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) By Jason Hancock 11/18/09 10:39 AM Moderate- and low-income Iowans pay a greater share of their income in state and local taxes than the rich do, according to a new report from two non-partisan research organizations. According the report, Iowa families earning less than $20,000 a year — the poorest fifth […]
Globe Gazette: Study says Iowa tax system unfair to poor
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s tax laws force poor residents to pay a much higher percentage of their income in taxes than the state’s wealthiest citizens, according to two researchers who called Wednesday for lawmakers to overhaul the system. “It’s an old problem and a persistent one,” said Peter Fisher, […]
Des Moines Register: Aim for fairness in state tax policy
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) The Register’s editorial The political debate over taxes these days ranges from “We will not raise taxes” to “We will cut taxes.” There is little interest, it seems, in raising taxes, but there should at least be interest in the idea that taxes ought to be fair. By fair, that means […]
Mount Vernon-Libson Sun: Sun Editorial: Look at the complicated when tackling Iowa’s budget
January 4, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) We sure hope our state leaders take the “road less traveled” when the legislative session convenes this coming month and they face a $1 billion revenue shortfall. Certainly, cuts are needed. We laud those coming up with places to trim. In fact, we like a mix of ideas from Democrats to […]
