Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

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The Birmingham News: Alabama taxes poor more heavily than rich, study finds

January 16, 2015

“Poor Alabamians continue to pay a larger share of their income in state and local taxes than upper-income earners, but the state no longer is among the “Terrible Ten,” according to a report released Wednesday. The fifth edition of “Who Pays?” by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy pegs Alabama as the 12th most […]

Democrat Examiner: Our Regressive Tax System

January 16, 2015

“Americans assume their tax system is progressive and fair, with the wealthy paying a greater percentage of their income to support government than the poor and middle class. Many Americans also assume the government takes money from the rich and redistributes it to the poor (the Joe the Plumber syndrome). Those assumptions are wrong. A […]

WJBC: Illinois among most unfair tax states

January 16, 2015

“The Illinois system is the fifth most unfair in the nation, in terms of low-income people paying the highest proportion of their income in taxes vs. the wealthy paying the lowest, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Executive director Matt Gardner explains the consequences: “When you have a tax system that decides, […]

Middlesboro Daily News: Wealthiest Kentuckians have lowest overall tax rate

January 16, 2015

“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 […]

Times Argus: Vt. taxes least regressive but still skewed

January 16, 2015

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has released a study looking at tax systems across all 50 states and found that Vermont leans less on the poor and middle class than do the other states; however, when looking at taxes as a percentage of income, the poor and the middle class are still paying […]

News & Observer: Despite claims, GOP policies aren’t spurring the NC economy

January 16, 2015

“The ballyhooed tax cuts have choked state revenue to the point where it will not be enough for even an austere budget. Current projections call for a $199 million shortfall, but it could go higher. Meanwhile, the cuts have increased economic inequality by shifting the tax burden downward. A new report from the Institute on […]

Harlan Daily: Wealthiest Kentuckians have lowest overall tax rate

January 16, 2015

“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 […]

Governing: Lower Wage Workers Pay More Than the 1% in State, Local Taxes

January 16, 2015

“When it comes to the taxes closest to home, the less you earn, the harder you’re hit. That is the conclusion of an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy that evaluates the local tax burden in every state, from Washington, labeled the most regressive, to Delaware, ranked as the fairest of them […]

Esquire: This Week in the Laboratories of Democracy

January 16, 2015

“And we conclude, as usual, in the great state of Oklahoma, where Blog Official Schist Stirrer Friedman of The Plains draws our attention to the fact that it’s better to be rich than to be poor. In Oklahoma, the bottom 80 percent of taxpayers (households earning less than $89,000 a year) are paying between 8.6 […]

Salon: Defiant Sam Brownback vows to move toward zero income tax — and make Kansas even more unequal

January 16, 2015

“A study released this week underscores one of the most pernicious effects of such a tax regime: It exacerbates inequality. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that “[v]irtually every state’s tax system is fundamentally unfair,” with state and local taxes eating disproportionately into lower-income workers’ wages. But the effect was far worse in […]

Marketplace: Not all taxes are created equal

January 16, 2015

“A new study published on Wednesday finds that local taxes are hitting low-wage earners much harder than wealthy individuals. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the poorest 20 percent of Americans pay an average of 10.9 percent of their income in state and local taxes, while the top one percent pay 5.4 […]

Forbes: State With World’s Richest Man Has Most Regressive Taxes (But Don’t Blame Bill Gates)

January 16, 2015

“A new analysis of state and local taxes for 2015 shows that despite changes in Kansas and other states that have reduced taxes on the rich, Washington State continues to have the most “regressive” tax system in the country—meaning its taxes hit poor families the hardest, compared to rich ones. Overall, the bottom 20% of […]

Science 2.0: Now That Prices Have Dropped, Hiking Gasoline Taxes Is Back On The Table

January 16, 2015

“Index the fuel taxes to the rate of increase in highway construction costs, an approach proposed by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. In this case, Congress would not need to adjust the tax since it would be done automatically on an annual basis, similar to the way Social Security benefits are adjusted annually […]

The Louisville Courier-Journal: Kentucky facing consequence of gas tax tied to price

January 16, 2015

“Most states — 32 — levy a fixed-rate per-gallon tax no matter what the price of gas, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a tax watchdog group. But 15 states, including Kentucky, gauge it to the price per gallon, which makes it function more like a sales tax. Florida and Massachusetts levy […]

Go Local Providence: RI Ranks 5th Worst For Taxes on the Poor

January 16, 2015

“A study released Wednesday by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and the Economic Progress Institute shows that the lowest income Rhode Islanders pay 12.5 percent of their income towards state and local taxes compared to the state’s wealthiest residents who pay 6.3 percent. Rhode Island now ranks 5th worst in the country […]

Politico: Morning Tax 1/14/2015

January 16, 2015

“The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy published a study showing that lower-income Americans will be hit the hardest by state and local taxes, paying 10.9 percent of their income compared to the 5.4 percent on income that the top 1 percent pay.” Read more

WDRB: Middle-income earners shoulder highest tax burden in Kentucky

January 16, 2015

“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” […]

WYSO: In Ohio, Poor People Pay More Of Their Incomes In Taxes Than Rich People

January 16, 2015

“A national report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ranks Ohio 18th in the country for most imbalanced tax systems. In a “regressive” tax system, low- and middle-income people pay a larger balance of their incomes in state and local taxes than high earners. The study finds very few states with “progressive” tax […]

The Idaho Statesman: Idaho taxes fall most heavily on the poor

January 16, 2015

“Idaho’s poor families pay more of their money in taxes than rich families, a report released Wednesday by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found. “Like in every state, low-income families in Idaho are having to devote more of their household budgets to pay state and local taxes compared to their wealthier neighbors,” senior […]

The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio tax gap among worst

January 16, 2015

“The situation here is worse than in most states, according to the analysis of 2012 income data by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which ranked states based on how state and local taxes affect low- and middle-income families compared with the richest 1 percent. The study, which covered tax changes in the states […]

The Wichita Eagle: Brownback will try to raise taxes to fill budget hole, but whose taxes?

January 16, 2015

“A study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy released this month concluded that households making less than $20,000 in Kansas would spend 11.1 percent of their income paying state and local taxes in 2015 primarily due to the state’s reliance on sales tax. On the other hand, households making more than $177,000 are […]

The Stranger: National Study Confirms: “Washington State Has, by Far, the US’s Most Regressive State Tax System.”

January 16, 2015

A new national study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy confirms that Washington State’s “morally bankrupt” tax system remains the worst in the nation when it comes to unfairly taxing the poor. “Washington state has, by far, the US’s most regressive state tax system, taxing the poorest residents at 16.8 percent while taxing […]

Courier-Post: Lawmakers still confident transportation solution near

January 16, 2015

“Eight states increased their gas taxes last year, including five that added automatic adjustments to keep pace with inflation or fuel prices, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.” Read more

The New Orleans Advocate: La.’s poor pay higher share in taxes, study shows

January 16, 2015

“Louisiana families with incomes below $32,000 per year — about 40 percent of the households — pay an average 10 percent rate in state and local taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based group that researches the impact of tax policies. The state’s top 1 percent — families with […]

The Economist Populist: The Poor Pay More in Taxes

January 16, 2015

“According to a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, in nearly every state, low- and middle-income families pay a bigger share of their income in state and local taxes than wealthy families. Patricia Cohen wrote in her very detailed and comprehensive article at the New York Times: “When it comes to […]

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