Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

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Turning IRS Agents to Deportation Will Reduce Public Revenues

February 11, 2025 • By Carl Davis, Jon Whiten

Turning IRS Agents to Deportation Will Reduce Public Revenues

The Trump Administration’s plan to turn IRS agents into deportation agents will result in lower tax collections in addition to the harm done to the families and communities directly affected by deportations.

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The (Mostly Untapped) Power of Local Income Taxes

February 5, 2025 • By Rita Jefferson

The (Mostly Untapped) Power of Local Income Taxes

Local income taxes can be an important progressive revenue raiser, as they ask more of higher-income households and are connected to ability to pay. They can raise substantial revenue to fund key public services to make cities and regions better off.

New York Times: What Mass Deportations Would Do to New York City’s Economy

January 31, 2025

That number comes not from a left-leaning human rights group intent on fostering sympathy for people who crossed the border illegally, but rather from the wonky Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan Washington think tank. The organization’s research also tells us that nationally, more than a third of the tax dollars paid by undocumented immigrants go toward payroll taxes, which are aimed at backing entitlement programs that these workers are not entitled to access.

The New Statesman: Donald Trump’s Florida Project

January 30, 2025

But Mar-a-Lago is just the crown jewel in the Floridisation of US politics. A born and bred New Yorker, Trump switched his primary residence from Manhattan to Palm Beach during his first term, stating that he had “been treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and state [of New York]. Few have been treated worse.” There was also a more practical rationale for becoming a Florida resident: lower taxes. Florida is one of just nine states that do not levy state income taxes on residents. According to a recent report by the Institute on Taxation and…

State Rundown 1/30: The Revenue Decrease is in the Details

More details on this year’s batch of major tax proposals are emerging from statehouses - and some revenue cuts look like they could be steep. A governor-backed and House-passed plan in Mississippi would phase out the personal income tax, while a recent tax cut proposal out of Idaho is anchored by a $253 million dollar income tax cut.  

Different Approaches to the Trump Tax Law’s Cap on Deductions for State and Local Taxes (SALT)

President Trump and the Republican majorities in the House and Senate may not extend the $10,000 cap on federal income tax deductions for state and local taxes (SALT), the one part of the 2017 law that significantly limits tax breaks for the rich. And, depending on which proposal they settle on, leaving out the existing cap on SALT deductions could add between $10 billion and over $100 billion each year to the total cost of their tax plan.

State Rundown 1/15: Tax Debates Heat Up Despite Winter Weather

While frigid temperatures expected across a large swath of the country, major tax proposals are heating up in the states. Governors are giving their State of the State addresses and state lawmakers have begun to convene for 2025. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans to expand the state’s Child Tax Credit earlier this year and has since announced nearly $1 billion in income tax cuts. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore unveiled a new tax proposal aimed at helping close the state’s looming revenue shortfall. The plan would increase taxes on the wealthy and cut taxes for many low- and middle-income…

New York Times: How Unauthorized Immigrants Help Finance Social Security Benefits

January 13, 2025

The Social Security Administration receives billions in free money each year from an unexpected source: undocumented immigrants.

State Rundown 1/9: New Year, New Pushes for Tax Policy Changes

It’s a new year, and state legislatures across the country are resolved to write new tax policy. Tax debates are heating up nearly everywhere in the early days of 2025, but states’ fiscal situations vary dramatically. New York is considering expanding the state’s Child Tax Credit following Gov. Hochul’s proposed expansion. On the other side […]

Trump’s Plan to Extend His 2017 Tax Provisions: Updated National and State-by-State Estimates

Trump’s plan to make most of the temporary provisions of his 2017 tax law permanent would disproportionately benefit the richest Americans. This includes all major provisions except the $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local taxes (SALT) paid.

State Rundown 11/20: Some Budgets and Tax Proposals Fail to Defy Gravity, Fall Short

This week, there are high-profile budget and tax debates at both the state and local levels. The Louisiana legislature continues to debate Gov. Jeff Landry’s deeply regressive tax package in a special session focused on replacing corporate and personal income tax revenue with additional sales taxes, but some efforts to find offsets for the cuts […]

State Tax Policy Should Adopt the Principles of ‘Black Women Best’

Focusing policy analysis on Black women illustrates how Black women have long shouldered the shortcomings of the economy and clearly points to solutions that work for all. Black women are at their best when they are financially secure, healthy, and free – and our economy is at its best when all people can thrive and benefit.

On Election Day, Voters Across the Country Chose to Invest in Their States & Communities

On election day, voters across the country — in states red and blue and communities rural and urban — approved a wide range of state and local ballot measures on taxation and public investment. The success of these measures clearly shows that voters are willing to invest in public priorities that feel tangible and close to home.

Taxing Transportation Is One Great Way to Reduce Carbon Emissions

Federal, state, and local tax codes are important but underused tools that can create a more climate-resilient, less carbon-emitting America. A modernized tax code would stop subsidizing emissions and instead encourage lower-carbon design. Because cars and trucks produce roughly one-fourth of US greenhouse gas emissions, transportation taxation is a great starting point.

New York Times: Trump’s Closing Argument: Lies, Distortions and Inaccuracies

November 4, 2024

Former President Donald J. Trump, in the closing days of the 2024 election, continues to be a font of exaggerations, misleading claims and outright lies.

New York Times: Trump Flirts With the Ultimate Tax Cut: No Income Taxes at All

October 24, 2024

Former President Donald J. Trump has spent much of the presidential campaign brainstorming new, and sometimes untested, ways to cut taxes. In the election’s final stretch, he raised the possibility of going even further: eliminating income taxes entirely.

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State Rundown 10/24: Tricks, Treats, and Tax Policy

October 24, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 10/24: Tricks, Treats, and Tax Policy

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is proposing a regressive tax reform package that would enact a flat personal and corporate income tax while expanding the state’s sales tax base and eliminating certain exemptions to make up for a portion of the lost revenue. West Virginia continues to chip away at its personal income tax, one of the state’s few progressive revenue options. And advocates in New York are rallying around a package of progressive tax legislation that would tax capital gains at higher rates, enact higher income tax brackets on multi-millionaires, and tax unrealized capital gains of billionaires.

New York Times: How Trump’s Radical Tariff Plan Could Wreck Our Economy

October 18, 2024

As a result, tariffs would raise the cost of living more for middle- and lower-income families than the average. An estimate by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which assumes a 20 percent tariff, finds that it would reduce the real income of families in the bottom fifth of earners by 5.7 percent, of middle-income families by 4.6 percent, but of the top 1 percent by only 1.4 percent. An analysis by the Peterson Institute for International Economics arrives at similar numbers. In other words, Trump’s 2.0 tariffs would in effect be a strongly regressive tax increase, imposing a…

2024 Local Tax Ballot Measures: Voters in Dozens of Communities Will Shape Local Policy

Next month, voters across the country will weigh in on many local ballot measures that will have a profound effect on the adequacy of our local tax systems and whether cities and communities can fund public needs. These are in addition to statewide ballot questions, many of which have local implications this year.  

New York Times: Trump and Harris Both Like a Child Tax Credit, but With Different Aims

October 16, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris has made an expanded child tax credit central to her campaign, and former President Donald J. Trump boasts, “I doubled the child tax credit.” With a quick look, voters might think the child-rearing subsidy the rare matter on which the rival candidates agree.

State Rundown 10/10: More Special Sessions, More Proposed Tax Cuts

This week several states are getting an early start at writing new tax policy in special sessions. In West Virginia, the legislature has come to an agreement with Gov. Justice on an additional tax cut—on top of already-planned cuts. The 2 percent cut will cost the state $49 million a year and come from spending […]

New York Times: Trump’s Plans Could Increase U.S. Debt While Raising Costs for Most Americans

October 7, 2024

Former President Donald J. Trump’s economic proposals could inflame the nation’s debt burden while ultimately raising costs for a vast majority of Americans, according to a pair of new economic analyses that are among the most in-depth studies to date of the Republican nominee’s plans. Read more.

Extending Temporary Provisions of the 2017 Trump Tax Law: Updated National and State-by-State Estimates

The TCJA Permanency Act would make permanent the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that are set to expire at the end of 2025. The legislation would disproportionately benefit the richest Americans. Below are graphics for each state that show the effects of making TCJA permanent across income groups. See ITEP’s […]

State Earned Income Tax Credits Support Families and Workers in 2024

Nearly two-thirds of states (31 plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) have an Earned Income Tax Credit. These credits boost low-paid workers’ incomes and offset some of the taxes they pay, helping lower-income families achieve greater economic security.

State Child Tax Credits Boosted Financial Security for Families and Children in 2024

Fifteen states plus the District of Columbia provide Child Tax Credits to reduce poverty, boost economic security, and invest in children. This year alone, lawmakers in three states – Colorado, New York, and Utah – expanded their Child Tax Credits while lawmakers in the District of Columbia created a new credit that will take effect in 2025.