Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Select Media Mentions

Video: ITEP’s Neva Butkus Discusses Wisconsin’s Tax Code on ABC News

January 29, 2024

"What this really comes down to is fairness," Neva Butkus, a state policy analyst for the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said. She contributed to "Who Pays?," the seventh edition of a periodic analysis offered by ITEP of tax policies in all 50 states.

AP News: Kansas Governor Vetoes Tax Cuts She Says Would Favor ‘Super Wealthy’

January 29, 2024

But the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy reported that even with the changes designed to benefit poorer taxpayers, 70% of the savings in raw dollars will go to the 20% of filers earning more than $143,000 a year.

Fatherly: What the New Child Tax Credit Would — and Wouldn’t — Do for Families

January 29, 2024

Various efforts have been made to revive the 2021 tax credit, which was wildly popular and is considered the “gold standard,” to CTC advocates, according to Joe Hughes, a Federal Policy Analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a non-profit, non-partisan tax policy organization. It’s also popular across party lines: A poll from Zero to Three and Morning Consult found that 85% of respondents want Congress to reinstate the 2021 CTC — 94% of Democrats and 77% of Republicans. But no effort in that direction has yet been successful.

CBS News: Vermont Wants to Fix Income Inequality by Raising Taxes on the Rich

January 29, 2024

Across the U.S., the rich generally pay a lower share of their income in taxes than low earners, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). A recent analysis by the left-leaning think tank found that the average effective state and local tax rate paid by residents to their home state is 7.2% for the top 1% of earners; for the lowest-earning 20%, that rate tops 11%.

CBS News: 14 States are Cutting Individual Income Taxes in 2024. Here are Where Taxpayers are Getting a Break

January 29, 2024

The reductions represent a continuation of "tax cut fever," as termed by the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). The drive to cut state taxes began during the pandemic when many states found themselves flush with tax revenue. With coffers fat, lawmakers sought to provide some relief to their constituents, typically through tax rebates or rate reductions.

New York Times: Vermont Becomes Latest State to Propose Wealth Taxes

January 23, 2024

Lawmakers in Vermont are introducing legislation this week that would impose new taxes on the state’s wealthiest residents, joining a growing national campaign being pushed by Democrats who believe that the measures will gain traction as states reckon with post-pandemic budget squeezes

Editorial: Florida Shines at Favoring the Rich, Punishing the Poor

January 23, 2024

But there’s one category in which Florida is unarguably first — first of the worst. The state has the nation’s most regressive state and local tax structure. That’s the judgment of ITEP, the progressive Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which ranks states every five years

Audio: ITEP’s Carl Davis Discusses North Carolina’s Upside-Down Tax Code

January 23, 2024

Ever since Republicans took control of the North Carolina legislature in 2011, they’ve passed income tax cut after income tax cut and bragged repeatedly of the supposed enormous benefits this has afforded to average North Carolinians

The Hill: House Panel Advances Tax Deal with Resounding Bipartisan Vote

January 20, 2024

A deal to reduce taxes for businesses and increase the child tax credit (CTC) made it out of the House Ways and Means Committee with broad bipartisan support Friday. Read more.

New York Times: What’s in the New Tax Deal?

January 19, 2024

Lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee will attempt a rare feat on Friday when they begin debate on something that rarely comes together in an election year: bipartisan tax legislation. Read more.

Associated Press: GOP Lawmakers, Democratic Governor in Kansas Fighting Again Over Income Tax Cuts

January 18, 2024

Top Republican legislators in Kansas have renewed a fight with the Democratic governor over income tax cuts that have drawn bipartisan criticism as favoring the wealthy, with no sign of a break in an impasse that thwarted tax relief last year. Read more.

Yahoo Finance: Lawmakers Ink a Bipartisan Tax Deal to Expand the Child Tax Credit

January 17, 2024

A powerful bipartisan duo announced a significant tax deal Tuesday that would combine a temporary expansion of the child tax credit with long-sought provisions for the business world. Read more.

Ring of Fire: You’ll Be Sick When You Find Out How Little The Top 1% Are Paying In Taxes

January 17, 2024

In 41 states across the country – and yes, that includes plenty of Democrat-controlled states – the tax rates for the top 1% of income earners and corporations are actually LOWER than the tax rates for EVERY OTHER income group. Read more.

Axios: Bipartisan Deal Would Expand Child Tax Credit, Lift Half-Million Children Out of Poverty

January 17, 2024

Congressional committee chairs reached a deal Tuesday that would expand the federal child tax credit, after three years of pushing by Democrats and progressives. Read more.

Video: The Young Turks Explains Upside-Down State Tax Codes

January 16, 2024

An analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) show that lower and middle class citizens are paying way a higher tax rate their rich counterparts. Rayyvana, David Shuster and Wosny Lambre discuss on The Young Turks. Read more.

The Guardian: US Corporations Push to Roll Back Trump-Era Tax Policies They Once Endorsed

January 12, 2024

An agreement is emerging that ties the corporate tax breaks to an increase in support for vulnerable American families. Read more.

MarketWatch: Moving to Florida Might Not Be the Tax Play It’s Cracked Up to Be — Unless You’re Loaded

January 12, 2024

Florida, Texas and Tennessee have become hot real-estate markets in recent years, in part because they offer the allure of low taxes and cheap living costs. But a new analysis of how much state and local taxes cost rich and poor residents in those states throws cold water on the assumption that moving to states like Florida […]

Washington Post: Behind Closed Doors, Trump Eyes Second Round of Corporate tax Cuts

January 12, 2024

Donald Trump’s campaign team says the former president would prioritize cutting taxes for working-class families and small businesses if he returns to the White House. But privately, Trump has told allies that he is keenly interested in cutting corporate tax rates again, according to two people who have spoken with Trump in recent months. Read […]

Bloomberg: As ‘Mansion Taxes’ Catch On in US Cities, Los Angeles Offers Lessons

January 11, 2024

Amid backlash and a tough housing market, a new tax intended to fund affordable housing is bringing in far less money than projected. Read more.

Video: ITEP’s Carl Davis Discusses Arkansas’ Upside-Down Tax Code

January 11, 2024

The “Who Pays?” report, a nationwide report that highlights the tax systems of each of the 50 states, shows Arkansas is one of the many states that “exacerbate inequality” for low-income and middle-class Arkansans. “The Arkansas tax system right now is not very balanced,” said Carl Davis, research director for the Institute on Taxation and […]

Washington Post: Congress Nears Deal to Partially Restore Biden’s Expanded Child Tax Credit

January 11, 2024

Congressional lawmakers are closing in on a deal that would partially revive President Biden’s expanded tax credit for lower-income families in exchange for extending tax incentives favored by business interests, according to two people familiar with the matter. Read more.

Newsweek: Florida’s Tax System Most Unfair on Poor in US, Study Shows

January 10, 2024

The Florida tax system is the most unfair on the poor in the entire country, according to a new study, with the lowest-income 20 percent in the state paying much more of their income in taxes than the wealthiest 1 percent. Read more.

The Guardian: Forty-Four of 50 US States Worsen Inequality with ‘Upside-Down’ Taxes

January 10, 2024

A total of 44 of the 50 US states worsen inequality by making the wealthy pay a lesser share of their income in taxes than lower income people, a new analysis has found. Read more.

The Hill: Top 1 Percent Paying Lower Tax Rates Than Other Residents in Most States: Study

January 10, 2024

The wealthiest families in most states are paying lower tax rates than everyone else, a new analysis found. Read more.

Fast Company: Florida Can’t Get Enough of Tax Holidays. But They’re Not the Magic Bullet Ron DeSantis Claims

January 10, 2024

Floridians saved more than $475 million on tax-free holidays—but it comes at the expense of the state’s schools and infrastructure. Read more.

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].