Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

New York

Colorado Fiscal Institute: The truth about taxes in Colorado

January 21, 2015

Who really pays a greater share of their income in taxes in Colorado? The rich or the poor? We answered this question by using the latest data from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The New York Times featured ITEP’s latest data in a national story today as well. Read the full report  

New York Times: How Expensive It Is to Be Poor

January 20, 2015

And yet, whatever the poor earn is likely to be more heavily taxed than the earnings of wealthier citizens, according to a new analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. As The New York Times put it last week: “According to the study, in 2015 the poorest fifth of Americans will pay on […]

State of Politics: Here and Now

January 16, 2015

“Taxes in New York may be the highest in the country, but at least they are reasonably equitable, according to the latest Who Pays study from the liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.” Read more

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 […]

Newsmax: The Less You Earn, the More Your Taxes Are

January 15, 2015

“The more you earn, the less in local taxes you pay, a new analysis shows, and several states are considering policies to lighten wealthy residents’ tax burden even more. “Virtually every state’s tax system is fundamentally unfair,” the study, completed by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says, according to The New York Times.” […]

Crain’s New York: New York’s high but equitable taxes

January 15, 2015

Taxes in New York may be the highest in the country, but at least they are reasonably equitable, according to the latest Who Pays study from the liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The study gives kudos to states that rely on income taxes, because they tend to be more progressive, and downgrades states […]

The New York Times: Study Finds Local Taxes Hit Lower Wage Earners Harder

January 14, 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 […]

The New York Times: Writing off the Warhol Next Door

January 12, 2015

And at a time when concerns about inequality have heightened criticism of government policies that favor the wealthiest sliver of society, these tax breaks have come under sharper scrutiny. “I think these types of deals do not follow the intent, even if they follow the letter, of the law,” said Rebecca Wilkins, senior counsel on […]

USA Today: New Year Brings Hundreds of New Laws

January 5, 2015

Drivers in five states could see gasoline prices rise with gas tax increases, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a tax watchdog group. The biggest increase is in Pennsylvania, 9.8 cents, followed by Virginia, 5.1 cents; Maryland, 2.9 cents; North Carolina, 1 cent; and Florida, 0.3 cents. New York, Nebraska, Vermont, West […]

New York Times: The State-by-State Revival of the Right

October 10, 2014

In an analysis of how the Indiana cuts are distributed by income groups, the liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that the bottom 20 percent are getting an average cut of $10, those in the middle are getting $56, while the top 1 percent get $1,181. Read more

New York Times: Apple’s Irish Luck

October 6, 2014

Here then is one difference between what transpires in the U.S. and what transpires in Europe: The E.U. has rules intended to prevent nations from giving unjustified tax breaks to companies. “In Europe there is now a mechanism to prevent the most harmful abuses” of the tax code, said Matthew Gardner, the executive director of […]

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State Tax Codes As Poverty Fighting Tools

September 18, 2014 • By Meg Wiehe

Read the Report in PDF Form The Census Bureau released data in September showing that the share of Americans living in poverty remains high. In 2013, the national poverty rate was 14.5 percent, a slight drop from last years’ rate of 15 percent and the first decline since 2006.1 However, the poverty rate remains 2.0 […]

Greenfield Daily Reporter: NY Tax Receipts Keep Rising Despite Growing Gap Between the Rich and the Rest

September 17, 2014

New York tax collections have continued rising despite a growing income gap between its richest residents and everyone else, even as a national study shows overall growth in state tax receipts slowing as the income gap widens across the U.S. While declining to immediately comment on the S&P analysis, Cuomo administration officials pointed to a […]

The Spectrum: Solution Possible for the Corporate Tax Issue

August 20, 2014

By Della Lowe: A week ago, Walgreen’s reversed its decision to move its corporate headquarters out of the United States, a move that would have been in name only but would have allowed the drugstore chain to save billions of dollars over the next five years in taxes. It appears from the news reports that […]

Politico: Craft Beer Tastes Great, Less Taxes

August 14, 2014

By Kelsey Snell Trendy craft beer sales are booming, and cities and states are hoping tax breaks will help them elbow their way into a seat at the bar. Targeted tax breaks are a favorite tool for states looking to capitalize on a growing industry, and states from California to New York are all hoping […]

Sales taxes are an important revenue source, comprising close to half of all state revenues in 2013. But sales taxes are also inherently regressive because the lower a family's income, the more of its income the family must spend on things subject to the tax.

Streetsblog: Unlike Toll Reform, A Sale Tax Is a Really Regressive Way to Fund Transit

August 1, 2014

By Stephen Miller But a sales tax is one of the most regressive revenue-raisers out there. Of the types of taxes states typically levy — on property, income, and sales — “sales and excise taxes are the most regressive, with poor families paying eight times more of their income in these taxes than wealthy families, and […]

Fiscal Policy Institute: NYS Can Help Low-income Working Families with Children by Increasing its Earned Income Tax Credit

August 1, 2014

It comes as no surprise to working families that New York State’s tax system is fundamentally unfair. Low- and middle-income workers pay, on average, a much higher share of their income in state and local taxes than the highest income earners. According to analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the […]

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State Estate and Inheritance Taxes

July 21, 2014 • By Meg Wiehe

For much of the last century, estate and inheritance taxes have played an important role in helping states to adequately fund public services in a way that improves the progressivity of state tax systems. While many of the taxes levied by state and local governments fall most heavily on low-income families, only the very wealthy pay estate and inheritance taxes. Recent changes in the federal estate tax, however, culminating in the "fiscal cliff " deal of early 2013, have forced states to reevaluate the structure of their estate and inheritance taxes. Unfortunately, the trend of late has tended toward weakening…

Los Angeles Times: Hypocrite Watch: Texas Gov. Rick Perry Says He May Move to Calif.

June 19, 2014

But Texas has sales and property taxes that make its overall burden of taxation on low-wage families much heavier than the national average, while the state also taxes the middle class at rates as high or higher than in California. For instance, non-elderly Californians with family income in the middle 20 percent of the income distribution pay combined state and local taxes amounting to 8.2 percent of their income, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy; by contrast, their counterparts in Texas pay 8.6 percent.

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Pay-Per-Mile Tax is Only a Partial Fix

May 28, 2014 • By Carl Davis

The gasoline tax is the single largest source of funding for transportation infrastructure in the United States, but the tax is on an unsustainable course. Sluggish gas tax revenue growth has put strain on transportation budgets at the federal and state levels, and has led to countless debates around the country about how best to pay for America's infrastructure.

Associated Press: Missouri lawmakers pass tax cut; veto possible

April 17, 2014

(Original Post) Thursday, April 17, 2014 By DAVID A. LIEB ~ The Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Setting up a likely veto showdown, the Republican-led Missouri Legislature gave final approval Wednesday to an income-tax cut for millions of individuals and thousands of business owners that Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon warned could imperil funding for […]

The Transylvania Times: No True Tax Reform

April 16, 2014

(Original Post) Within the past few days, thousands of North Carolinians have been scurrying to complete and file their state and federal income tax returns. As always, there is a call for a simpler and more equitable tax code. As usual, very little is done to make taxes simpler or achieve a more equitable system. […]

AM New York: Tax day – NY-based corporates that pay the least taxes

April 16, 2014

(Original Post) By AMNY.COM April 15, 2014 Paying taxes can be a painful experience. But that pain is not necessarily felt by some corporations that pay little to no taxes due to loopholes (and plenty of high-price consulting help). In fact, 26 Fortune 500 corporations reported negative taxes due to rebates. The nonprofits Citizens for […]

Fiscal Policy Center: Corning and MasterCard Paid .6% in State Taxes

April 15, 2014

As New York struggles with tough budget decisions about essential public services, profitable Fortunate 500 companies like Corning, MasterCard, Lowes and Consolidated Edison are paying 2% or less in state income taxes for 2012 thanks to copious loopholes, lavish giveaways and crafty accounting. The recently passed state budget did nothing to close these loopholes and […]