Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

News Releases

The Iran War’s Higher Gas Prices Now Top $100 Billion for Americans

This morning, the overall cost to Americans of the Iran War’s higher fuel and energy prices went over the $100 billion mark, according to the continually updated tracker that we launched in May. As of September 24, the average additional cost to American households from the war was $750, which is projected to rise to […]

news release  

State Tax Ballot Measures to Watch

September 9, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

State Tax Ballot Measures to Watch

With Election Day less than 2 months away, some of the most consequential state tax policy fights this fall are happening at the ballot box. ITEP is tracking major tax measures across the country that could reshape state tax systems for years to come. Voters will weigh proposals to raise taxes on the wealthiest households […]

New ITEP Analysis: State Income Tax Cuts Are Adding Up to Massive Giveaways for the Wealthy

A new ITEP analysis examines the extraordinary wave of state income tax cuts enacted since 2020 and how years of repeated, incremental rate reductions are adding up to much larger tax cuts for wealthy households than any single year’s legislation might suggest. A few key findings: States have cut their top personal income tax rates […]

Proposed Tax Credit Restrictions Would Harm Thousands of “Dreamers” and Their Citizen Children

Affected DACA recipients and their families stand to lose 13% of their average annual income Lawfully present immigrant workers, including the “Dreamers” who were brought to the country as children, would be excluded from critical federal tax credits under regulations being considered by the Trump administration, according to a new brief from the Institute on […]

New ITEP analysis: Six Companies Reaped Record-Setting $83 Billion in Federal Tax Breaks Last Year

Just six companies received $83 billion in federal income tax breaks in 2025, the latest evidence that corporate tax avoidance has been turbocharged by the 2025 Trump/GOP tax law. This is more than 40% of the $204 billion in 2025 corporate tax breaks we have identified so far. Download Microsoft topped the list with a […]

New ITEP analysis: What Federal Tax Policy Can Do About AI

ITEP has a new brief out today looking at a question that is likely to become increasingly important as AI transforms the economy: What role should federal tax policy play in responding to AI? The report doesn’t endorse a single “AI tax.” Instead, it lays out three broad ways Congress could use the tax code […]

New ITEP State Data Reveal Decades-Long Shift Toward Lower Income Taxes and Higher Sales Taxes

Since 1990, state lawmakers have cut top personal and corporate income tax rates far more often than they have raised them, shifting more responsibility onto working families State lawmakers have spent the past several decades repeatedly cutting taxes for high-income households and profitable corporations while increasing taxes on consumer purchases, according to a new brief […]

ITEP’s Founding Local Policy Director Tapped for Top City Tax Post in Philadelphia

Kamolika Das, the founding director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy’s local team, is leaving ITEP to become the Director of Tax Policy and Planning for the City of Philadelphia, where she lives. Das joined ITEP in February 2020 as an analyst on the state policy team before helping to launch the organization’s […]

New Report Urges Congress to Reject Special Tax Breaks for Cryptocurrency

With lawmakers potentially acting as soon as next week, ITEP warns that crypto should not receive more favorable treatment than other investments, income or financial transactions With lawmakers in Congress potentially moving forward on cryptocurrency tax legislation as soon as next week, a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy urges them […]

State Sales Tax Holidays Cost Nearly $600 Million While Doing Little to Help Working Families

As back-to-school shopping season begins across the country, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has released a new brief examining the costs and effectiveness of state sales tax holidays. While lawmakers often promote these temporary tax breaks as relief for families facing high costs, ITEP’s analysis finds they provide little lasting benefit while draining […]

New Analysis: Amendment 5 Would Raise Taxes on Missouri Families and Seniors to Fund Tax Cuts for the Rich

Middle-income Missourians could pay hundreds more each year while the state’s wealthiest households receive an average tax cut of nearly $40,000 Amendment 5, which Missouri voters will consider on August 4, would shift a greater share of state taxes onto middle-income families, seniors, and military households while delivering substantial tax cuts to the state’s richest […]

2025 Trump Tax Law One Year In: Who Won, Who Lost, and What Comes Next

As the one-year anniversary approaches of President Trump signing the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) into law on July 4, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy is available to help assess the law’s impact, who benefits most, and how the law fits into the broader Trump-GOP tax agenda. ITEP has published national […]

Proposed Tax Credit Restrictions Would Harm Hundreds of Thousands of Working Immigrants Who Pay Taxes

Affected DACA recipients and their families stand to lose nearly 12% of their average annual income Hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers who file and pay taxes would be excluded from critical federal tax credits under regulations being considered by the Trump administration, according to a new brief from the Institute on Taxation and Economic […]

New from ITEP: Tracking the Iran War’s Higher Gas Prices

Americans to spend an extra $3.5 billion on fuel over Memorial Day Weekend alone Today the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy launched a new resource that tracks how much more Americans are spending for gas and diesel fuel due to the Iran War and estimates how much more we will spend as the war […]

New Report Outlines Blueprint for Local Leaders to Raise Progressive Revenue to Fund Communities Amid Severe Federal Cuts

In the wake of mounting federal budget cuts and soaring wealth inequality, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and the Local Progress Impact Lab have co-authored an in-depth new report designed to equip local policymakers with the tools to make corporations and ultra-wealthy residents pay their fair share. “The task for local elected […]

New Report Details Why Progressives Need a Course Correction on Tax Policy

The political turbulence and polarization of the past decade requires a strategic shift in how policymakers should approach taxing the wealthiest Americans. That’s the big takeaway from a new report released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which argues that to ensure tax reforms survive ideological hostility from the Supreme Court and […]

New from ITEP: States Could Unlock Up to $27 Billion by Modernizing Outdated Tax Codes to Include Advertising

States are missing out on billions of dollars in essential revenue by failing to tax the rapidly expanding and evolving advertising industry. Modernizing tax codes to include advertising could raise between $16 billion and $27 billion a year across all states for public services like schools, roads, and healthcare, according to a new report by […]

New Report Finds 88 Major U.S. Corporations Paid Zero Federal Income Tax Despite Billions in Profits

At least 88 of the largest corporations in the U.S. paid no federal corporate income taxes in 2025, despite collectively earning more than $105 billion in U.S. pretax income, according to a new analysis released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The findings highlight a continuation of longstanding corporate tax avoidance trends, […]

New from ITEP: Trump Tax Policies Raise Costs for Most Americans While Delivering Trillion-Dollar Benefits to the Wealthy

A new analysis of the first year of tax policy under President Trump’s second term finds that the changes made by the president and Congress will increase taxes for most Americans, significantly expand income inequality, and add trillions to the national debt, while delivering substantial tax cuts to high-income households, corporations, and foreign investors. The […]

Historic Millionaires’ Tax in Washington Will Make State’s Tax Code Fairer, Raise Critical Revenue

Today Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law the state’s new millionaires’ tax, propelling the Evergreen State forward toward a fairer economy with a tax code more based on the ability to pay. The legislation, which makes significant investments in public education and child care, will also expand the Working Families Tax Credit – Washington’s […]

New from ITEP: Gas Price Surge Costs American Drivers $9.4 Billion a Month; Gas Tax Holidays Won’t Solve This Problem for Working Families

The recent spike in gasoline prices is on pace to cost American drivers an additional $9.4 billion per month, according to a new analysis released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). Driven by the ongoing Iran war, which has sent prices soaring by about a dollar per gallon in a single […]

Washington State Passes Millionaires’ Tax as More States Look to Tax the Wealthy

Contact: press@itep.org Last night the Washington legislature took a huge step toward making that state’s tax system fairer by passing a personal income tax on earnings over $1 million. This comes as many states are looking to raise revenue, particularly from people at the top of the income scale who just received massive federal tax […]

Trump Tax Law’s Tiny Child Tax Credit Increase Fails to Help Those Who Need It Most

The Child Tax Credit (CTC) boost in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) leaves millions of families behind while disproportionately helping higher-income households rather than those most in need. There are better alternatives.   Contact: press@itep.org Last year, lawmakers slightly increased the Child Tax Credit as part of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill […]

ITEP Statement: President Trump Sues the American People for $10 Billion

The following is a statement by Amy Hanauer, executive director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, in response to yesterday’s announcement that President Trump and his family are suing the IRS over the leak of his tax returns by an IRS contractor: “Several years ago, an IRS contractor leaked confidential tax return data […]

New Report Shows How States Can Raise Billions by Taxing the Wealthy

Contact: Jon Whiten (jon@itep.org) Taxing the proceeds generated by wealth – such as capital gains, dividends, and passive business income – through a new Wealth Proceeds Tax is a simple way for states to raise billions in new revenue and improve the fairness of their tax systems, according to a new report by the Institute […]