Select Media Mentions
The Atlanta Journal Constitution: Sales Tax Weekend a Mini Black Friday
August 5, 2016
But the 17 states that will host a sales-tax “holiday” this year will lose a total of about $300 million in tax revenue, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.Read more
The Jackson Clarion Ledger
August 5, 2016
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy lists Mississippi’s taxes as 21st for “most unfair” or regressive, with people’s incomes less equal after state and local taxation. This is largely because of the state’s reliance on sales taxes and it being one of only two states that levies its full sales tax on groceries with […]
New York Times: The Path to Prosperity Is Blue
August 5, 2016
Ranking the states by social and economic indicators. Source: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, etc. Read more
Santa Fe New Mexican: Statewide Tax-Free Holiday Approaches
August 5, 2016
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization, recently issued a statement about problems with such programs. “Policy makers tout sales tax holidays as a way for families to save money,” the release said. “On the surface, this sounds good. However, a two- to three- day sales tax holiday […]
Houston Public Media: Houston Becomes an Official Welcoming City
August 5, 2016
According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, foreign-born residents contributed over $116 billion into the local economy in 2014. Wu says the Energy Corridor is the perfect example of immigration working in Houston. Read more or listen to the segment
Houston Public Media: Five Reasons Tax-Free Weekend Might Be a Bad Idea
August 5, 2016
Check out this map of all the U.S. sales tax holidays, back to school and otherwise, from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
Politico: The Problem for Energy States
August 5, 2016
The liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy is out with a new paper arguing that energy-rich states cut corners and relied too heavily on their wealth of natural resources, instead of setting up tax systems based on more solid footing. States like Alaska and Louisiana, ITEP writes, showered tax cuts on both individuals and […]
Ackron Beacon Journal: What you need to know about Ohio’s sales-tax holiday beginning Friday
August 5, 2016
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy again this year called sales-tax holidays ineffective with minimal benefits for low-and moderate-income taxpayers. “Sales tax holidays fall short because they are poorly targeted, cost revenue, can easily be exploited and create administrative difficulties,” the institute said. Read more
Waco Tribune: Local stores prepare for statewide sales tax holiday
August 5, 2016
“Sales tax holidays are political gimmicks that fail to deliver on their grand promises,” said Dylan Grundman with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. “They may give consumers a short break from sales taxes on certain items, but they don’t change regressive state tax systems. Policymakers should instead consider policies that make our tax […]
New York Times: Back-to-School Sales Tax Holidays May Be Skimpier This Year
August 5, 2016
Many tax policy experts, however, look askance at the sales tax holiday phenomenon. “They’re really mostly just a political gimmick,” said Meg Wiehe, state tax policy director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Elected officials, she said, like the opportunity to talk about how the holidays save voters money. But in reality, she […]
Minnesota Politics: Strapped states cancel sales-tax holidays
August 5, 2016
The Bay State isn’t the only state to forgo its sales-tax holiday in order to raise additional funds. Kansas, North Carolina, Nebraska, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, state legislators are among those that have also decided against holding new tax holidays or reinstating them during the last few years, and they’ll be saving money as a […]
The Washington Times: First state back-to-school sales tax holiday kicks off at end of July
July 28, 2016
“For its part, the liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in a July 11 policy brief likewise questioned the propriety of sales tax holidays, concluding they do little to help the working poor, result in less tax revenue and administrative headaches for state tax collectors and provide an opening for “unscrupulous” merchants to “increas[e] […]
Phoenix Business Journal: Why pay-by-the-mile fees are on the horizon across the country
July 28, 2016
“The shortfall is dramatic. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that in 2013, the purchasing power of gas tax dollars had declined 22 percent since 1997, plus alternative fuel and fuel-efficient vehicles drained the purchasing power another 6 percent.” Read more
Chattanooga Times Free Press: Tennessee now holds sales tax holiday on same weekend as Georgia
July 28, 2016
“Seventeen states, primarily in the Southeast, stand to lose more than $300 million in tax revenue because they waive sales taxes on back-to-school items and other goods, including hunting gear, energy-efficient appliances and severe weather preparedness, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization with offices in Washington, D.C., […]
Coalition fights to repeal personal property tax
July 28, 2016
“Matt Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, argued in a recent blog that repealing the law would be adverse for homeowners who might have to make up the difference in higher real estate taxes.” Read more
Forth Worth Star Telegram: Texas sales tax holiday for back- to- school shopping is Aug. 5-7
July 27, 2016
“Sales tax holidays are political gimmicks that fail to deliver on their grand promises,” according to a recent memo by Dylan Grundman with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.” Read more
Latin Post: Immigration Advocates Blast Donald Trump’s RNC Speech as ‘Pure Hatred’
July 27, 2016
“Indeed, a recent Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) “Undocumented Immigrants’ State & Local Tax Contributions study found that undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. pay out an estimated $11.64 billion in annual taxes.” Read more
Christian Science Monitor: Are sales tax holidays good for anyone?
July 27, 2016
“But as the Washington-based research organization Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) points out, no new states introduced tax holidays this year. In fact several states have reduced or canceled theirs recently.” Read more
Tax-News: US Sales Tax Holidays Said To Be ‘Ineffective’
July 27, 2016
“In a recent paper, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) concluded that US sales tax holidays are “poorly targeted and too temporary to meaningfully change the regressive nature of a state’s tax system.”” Read more
The Olympian: Support Olympia by supporting Opportunity for Olympia
July 27, 2016
“The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy notes that Washington state has the most regressive tax structure in the country. The poorest 20 percent pay 16.8 percent of their income in state and local taxes while the richest 1 percent pay only 2.4 percent.” Read more
Money Talks News: Slash Back-to-School Spending on Sales Tax Holidays
July 26, 2016
“The effectiveness of the annual tax holidays as a policy tool is debatable. A recent report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy determined that these tax-free periods are “poorly targeted and too temporary to meaningfully change the regressive nature of a state’s tax system.” But they are still an opportunity to stretch your […]
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Editorial: Tennessee as tax-cut role model? Never mind
July 22, 2016
“Tennessee’s gains are being subsidized by the poor and working class. The poorest 20 percent of Tennesseans pay 8.9 percent of their income on sales and excise taxes, according to the Washington-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The state’s richest residents pay just 1.2 percent.” Read more
News Press: Large tax breaks to corporations must change
July 22, 2016
“In a new report, published by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), findings show many of the largest and most profitable corporations in the U.S. pay insufficiently or no federal income taxes. The report shines a light on multinationals which pay higher rates abroad than in the U.S., and despite their protestations to […]
Dallas Voice: Not in my America!
July 22, 2016
“And by the way, those illegal immigrants pay taxes. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, in 2013 they paid $7 billion in sales taxes, $1.1 billion in income taxes and $3.6 billion in property taxes.” Read more
Politico: Morning Tax: Trump tax plan edges closer
July 21, 2016
“JUST SAY NO TO SALES TAX HOLIDAYS: So says the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, just as 17 separate states plan to hold a sales tax holiday. The group acknowledges the holidays are popular with voters but argues they also lose revenue, don’t really give much of a boost to stores and disproportionately […]
Members of the media rely on ITEP for analysis and insight about how tax policies affect people. If you’re a reporter looking to talk to one of our experts, contact Jon Whiten at [email protected].
Institute on Taxation
and Economic Policy
ITEP is a non-profit, non-partisan tax policy organization. We conduct rigorous analyses of tax and economic proposals and provide data-driven recommendations to shape equitable and sustainable tax systems.
Subscribe to ITEP Emails
Tax research and policy news in your inbox.
Promote Fair Tax Policy
Your gift to ITEP promotes tax justice. With your help, we do research that supports taxing millionaires and billionaires, taxing big corporations and raising revenue for the things our people, our communities and our planet need.
Together, we can create a country with more economic justice, more racial justice, more climate justice… and more tax justice.