January 13, 2023
The IRS is gearing up for another tax season amid a slew of challenges, according to a new report. Most pressing is the need to upgrade its “antiquated” systems and hire more workers to provide better service, a watchdog group within the IRS found. Yet the agency’s leadership also faces another test: repelling the latest […]
January 10, 2023
Now that Kevin McCarthy has finally been elected House speaker, and a new congressional term sworn in, the GOP has already voted on one of its key promises made during last year’s midterm elections: to target the Internal Revenue Service. Read more.
January 10, 2023
State coffers are overflowing, but inflation could put a pinch on spending plans and tax cuts. The labor market remains tight just when the demand for more teachers is skyrocketing. And then there are the ongoing culture wars. Welcome to 2023. Read more.
January 4, 2023
More states are slashing or eliminating taxes, lessening the burden mostly for the wealthy. What does that cost the rest of us? Read more.
January 3, 2023
If you raised children during the pandemic, you probably remember something remarkable: getting checks in the mail, every month, from the federal government. The expanded child tax credit provided a few hundred dollars to help pay for your son’s braces or your daughter’s ballet lessons — or to ease the stress over whether you had […]
January 3, 2023
A preliminary review of the thousands of pages of Donald Trump’s tax returns released by a key congressional committee on Friday confirms that the former president was using business losses in the tens of millions of dollars to reduce his annual tax liability, in some cases all the way down to zero. Read more.
January 2, 2023
We would do well to remember the millions of families in New York that were already experiencing the storms of poverty, inequality and policy violence, not to mention those who have nowhere safe to celebrate the holidays. Read more.
January 2, 2023
This time of year, we find ourselves touched by the generosity, grace and kindness of people helping people. Extending ourselves to others reveals the best of who we are as humans, and that emerges so clearly during the holiday season. Yet as moved as I often am by the ways people show up for each […]
December 24, 2022
The government spending bill that was just passed through the Senate and awaits approval from Congress is estimated to total nearly $1.7 trillion. While it will fund a variety of initiatives like aid to Ukraine and enhanced retirement savings, it will not extend “accelerated depreciation” tax breaks, which were initiated during the Trump administration and seen by […]
December 20, 2022
The child tax credit has been available at the federal level since 1997. Before 2021, families were able to take advantage of a $2,000 credit per child. Under the American Rescue Plan, the credit was expanded to $3,000 per child between the ages of 6 and 17, and $3,600 for every child under 6 years […]
December 15, 2022
Lawmakers in Connecticut, New York and several other states want to expand tax breaks for families with children next year, inspired by a 2021 federal tax credit that dramatically reduced child poverty. Read more.
November 23, 2022
The IRS is sanctioning state laws allowing rich Americans to bypass the SALT cap and avoid billions in taxes, but a new Biden nominee could end the scheme. Read more.
November 23, 2022
Child poverty in the U.S. hit a record low last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in part due to the American Rescue Plan Act’s expansion of the federal child tax credit. While the initiative expires at the end of 2021, states could continue the trend with their own child tax credit policies, a new […]
November 23, 2022
Voters in Massachusetts just ratified the Fair Share Amendment, which taxes income above $1 million to fund public services. A broad coalition of labor and community groups took on billionaire money and won. Read more.
November 23, 2022
Certain tax credits were made temporarily more generous in 2021. For certain people, there still may be time to claim the money, which may add up to thousands of dollars — but some politicians aren’t happy the IRS just reminded Americans about the cash. Read more.
November 11, 2022
Wealth inequality is at mind-boggling levels in Oregon and elsewhere. Listen to Research Director Carl Davis talk about the trends here.
November 2, 2022
The mess in England doesn’t mean he’s wrong. Arthur Laffer, the chief cheerleader for supply-side economics since the days of Ronald Reagan, wants to make that clear. Read more.
November 1, 2022
In Arizona, Republican legislators are asking residents to make it tougher for voters to pass ballot measures that would raise taxes. Supporters say the proposal, which will be decided in next week’s election, is intended to rein in ballot initiatives that threaten the state’s economy and that are often backed by groups from outside of […]
November 1, 2022
Florida reinstituted its per-gallon tax on gasoline sales today after a monthlong reprieve in October implemented by Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers. The savings from the 25.3-cent break on each gallon of gasoline last month appears to have been less obviously impactful to drivers, thanks to another sharp rise in oil prices at the start of October. […]
October 21, 2022
By the time her extraordinarily wealthy grandmother died last month, Marlene Engelhorn already knew who she wanted to be the ultimate beneficiary of the enormous inheritance coming her way: the tax man. Read more.
October 16, 2022
Gloom shrouds the news on the economy. Workers get blamed for inflation and the common solutions on offer bring more pain. But when we center the interests of workers and communities, we get a different picture of the causes and cures for our economic woes. Read more.
October 13, 2022
Wealth inequality has been on the rise over the last few decades, and some states have residents sitting on a whole lot of cash. A new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy finds that 30% of American wealth is held by households that have over $30 million in their coffers. That 0.25% of […]
October 8, 2022
You wouldn’t know it from watching the news, but American children are doing better than they were at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, at least when it comes to having their basic needs met. That’s according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Even as the country suffered through a pandemic, global […]
October 7, 2022
Turn an illicit product into a highly taxed and regulated one and you have a classic business experiment. Do it with a little-studied psychoactive substance that has both medical promise and addictive potential and you have a public health trial, too. That’s what the US has done with cannabis, otherwise known as marijuana, pot or […]
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].