Kentucky
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: Reinstating Kentucky’s Tax on Extreme Wealth a Part of Making State Taxes Fair and Adequate
October 21, 2015 • By ITEP Staff
Kentucky loses an estimated $25 million a year because state lawmakers haven’t yet taken steps to recoup lost revenue from federal estate tax changes that essentially eliminated the state’s estate tax in the 2000s 1. Recognizing estate taxes generate revenue and make taxes fairer, many states have either decoupled from the federal changes or enacted […]
State Tax Notes: States Increase Gas Tax in Push for Transportation Funds
July 13, 2015 • By ITEP Staff
In the absence of a national gasoline tax increase, states have been raising their gas taxes to fund long-deferred road maintenance and transportation projects. “I think what’s happening now is a lot of states are having to play catch-up. They let their infrastructure deteriorate to a point where it’s an issue that can’t be ignored […]
TI News Daily: Some States Prefer Transportation Over Tax relief
July 8, 2015 • By ITEP Staff
To meet infrastructure needs, several states have had to increase other taxes, such as gasoline taxes. These states include Idaho, Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska, North Carolina, Kentucky, Utah and South Dakota. Four of these states are currently finalizing infrastructure funding increases or are still discussing infrastructure funding raises. “A lot of states realized they couldn’t put […]
Planetizen: State Gas Tax Changes Effective July 1: Six Up; One Down
July 6, 2015 • By ITEP Staff
Carl Davis, Research Director of the Institute on Tax and Economic Policy (ITEP) writes where gas taxes used to fund transportation infrastructure increased, if only by decimal points, and about the aberration—the six-cent plunge in California. “The largest gas tax increases are taking place in Idaho (7 cents per gallon) and Georgia (6.7 cents for […]
Don’t Mess With Taxes: Gasoline, Diesel Taxes Hiked in Seven States on July 1
July 2, 2015 • By ITEP Staff
Gas tax cuts stopped in two states: And some drivers who had been expecting lower fuel taxes are disappointed. Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), notes on the Tax Justice Blog that automatic gas tax cuts had been scheduled to take place in Kentucky and North Carolina. Lawmakers […]
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: Inaction on Gas Tax Will Drop Rate to Historically Low Levels
March 26, 2015 • By ITEP Staff
Good roads are critical to public safety and to Kentucky’s economy, especially in a state so dependent on manufacturing and distribution industries. Funding from the gas tax and other sources also supports over 40,000 jobs. It’s important that the General Assembly recognize the need for a sustainable revenue stream to keep Kentucky’s infrastructure safe and […]
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: Kentucky’s Upside Down Tax System Asks the Least of Those at the Top
January 16, 2015 • By ITEP Staff
In Kentucky, the wealthiest residents pay the lowest overall state and local tax rate as documented in a new edition of a study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. “Who Pays: A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in 50 States” analyzes all major state and local taxes including personal and corporate income, […]
Middlesboro Daily News: Wealthiest Kentuckians have lowest overall tax rate
January 16, 2015 • By ITEP Staff
“A new study released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KCEP) finds that low-income Kentuckians pay 49 percent more in state and local taxes as a share of their incomes than the state’s wealthiest one percent pay. The rate for moderate-income and middle class […]
Harlan Daily: Wealthiest Kentuckians have lowest overall tax rate
January 16, 2015 • By ITEP Staff
“A new study released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KCEP) finds that low-income Kentuckians pay 49 percent more in state and local taxes as a share of their incomes than the state’s wealthiest one percent pay. The rate for moderate-income and middle class […]
WDRB: Middle-income earners shoulder highest tax burden in Kentucky
January 16, 2015 • By ITEP Staff
“Kentucky families earning $30,000 to $50,000 a year pay the highest share of their incomes in state and local taxes — 10.8 percent — while families earning $330,000 or more pay only 6 percent, according to an analysis by two organizations that favor progressive policies. Kentucky’s tax policies are far from the nation’s most “regressive” […]
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: State EITC Would Make a Regressive Tax System Fairer
May 22, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
Previous posts have described how a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) would help working low-income Kentuckians make ends meet and reach every corner of the state. A state EITC would also make the tax system fairer, as shown in a new report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). Kentucky’s tax system […]
The Courier-Journal: Pass tax reform for 21st century Kentucky
April 11, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
(Original post) Col Owens, April 11, 2014 The General Assembly has just passed another inadequate state budget. And once again, it has failed to give Kentucky a tax system that will allow it to compete in the 21st century economy. As a legal aid attorney and education advocate for 35 years, I’ve long witnessed firsthand […]
Cincinnati Enquirer: Kentucky’s new budget inadequate for 21st century
April 7, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
(Original Post) CIN 12:31 a.m. EDT April 6, 2014 The Kentucky General Assembly has just passed another inadequate state budget. And once again, it has failed to give Kentucky a tax system that will allow it to compete in the 21st-century economy. As a legal aid attorney and education advocate for 35 years, I’ve long […]
KY Forward: Kentucky needs to take its future in its own hands and make tax system fairer
April 4, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
Thursday, April 3, 2014 The General Assembly has just passed another inadequate state budget. And once again, it has failed to give Kentucky a tax system that will allow it to compete in the 21st-century economy. As a legal aid attorney and education advocate for 35 years, I’ve long witnessed firsthand how our state budget […]
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: While Kentucky’s Budget Faces More Cuts, Profitable Fortune 500 Companies Avoid Paying State Corporate Income Taxes
March 20, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
As Kentucky and other states struggle with tough budget decisions about essential public services, profitable Fortune 500 companies including Kentucky-based Yum Brands and Humana pay little to nothing in state corporate income taxes around the country, according to a new study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy and Citizens for Tax Justice. Read […]
WFPL: Gov. Steve Beshear’s Tax Plan Fails to Address Inequality, Economic Think Tank Says
February 11, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
(Original Post) By JONATHAN MEADOR Credit Rae Hodge/Kentucky Public Radio Steve Beshear Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear’s tax reform plan fails to address issues of fairness in the state’s tax code, says a non-partisan economic think tank. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy doesn’t think the plan’s Earned Income Tax Credit will be enough to […]
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: Measuring the Tax Plan Against Key Principles
February 10, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
Governor Beshear has released his tax reform proposal, and analysis and debate over the plan has begun. It’s important that this discussion keep in mind three principles that are needed in a tax reform plan in order to move Kentucky forward: First, tax reform should generate significant new revenue now to allow Kentucky to begin […]
Lexington Herald-Leader: Get it right, go big on tax reform
February 10, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
(Original Post) February 9, 2014 Lawmakers have plenty of time to dig into tax reform and improve on what Gov. Steve Beshear has proposed. While Beshear is offering some good ideas, his package does too little to broaden the state’s loophole-ridden tax base while carving out even more loopholes. Kentucky already exempts more in taxes […]
Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: Tax Plan Misses Opportunity to Make Overall Tax System Fairer
February 7, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
The combined impact of the tax increases and tax cuts in Governor Beshear’s reform proposal would not help improve the regressive nature of Kentucky’s tax system, according to analysis of the plan released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). The plan would basically maintain the existing distribution of taxes for individuals, […]
The Courier-Journal: 3 key principles must guide tax code changes
January 22, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
Jason Bailey Special to The Courier-Journal Gov. Steve Beshear announced in his State of the Commonwealth Address that he will propose a specific tax reform plan to the General Assembly. His leadership is welcome and is essential to building support for such an important issue. The big question now concerns the specifics of a […]
Lexington Herald Leader: Ky. can’t succeed without tax reform
January 13, 2014 • By ITEP Staff
(Original Post) BY JASON BAILEY January 12, 2014 Gov. Steve Beshear announced in his State of the Commonwealth address that he will propose a specific tax reform plan to the General Assembly in the coming weeks. His leadership is welcome and is essential to building support for such an important issue. The big question now […]
Floyd County Times: Study examines the value of immigration reform
July 18, 2013 • By ITEP Staff
Kentucky News Connection BEREA – A new study shows that Kentucky would get a boost in revenue if the state’s estimated 80,000 undocumented immigrants were allowed to work legally. The analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy claims Kentucky could gain more than $23 million a year. Anna Baumann, an analyst with […]
Business First: Immigration reform would add $56M to Kentucky, Indiana coffers
July 12, 2013 • By ITEP Staff
(Original Post) Staff Business First A newly released study shows that national and state tax revenues in Kentucky and Indiana would increase by nearly $56 million annually if immigration reform passes. As The Courier-Journal reports, the study by the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that millions of undocumented immigrants who would obtain […]
The Courier-Journal: Immigration reform would net $23M more for Kentucky
July 11, 2013 • By ITEP Staff
(Original Post) Jul. 10, 2013 11:48 PM Written by James R. Carroll WASHINGTON — Calling it “flawed” and “rushed,” House Republican leaders Wednesday snubbed sweeping immigration reform legislation, even as a new study showed that state and local tax revenues in Kentucky and Indiana would increase by nearly $56 million annually if reform passed. “House […]
KY Forward: Fifty-state study shows immigration reform would boost Kentucky revenues $23.2 million
July 10, 2013 • By ITEP Staff
With fiscal costs and benefits figuring large in the immigration reform debate, a new analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) estimates that unauthorized immigrants are already paying $10.6 billion a year in state and local taxes nationwide, including $58.8 million in Kentucky. The study also estimates that Kentucky stands to gain […]
