Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

North Dakota

blog  

States are Talking About the Wrong Kind of Property Tax Cuts

May 11, 2023 • By Brakeyshia Samms, Carl Davis

States are Talking About the Wrong Kind of Property Tax Cuts

Concerns over property tax affordability have been at the forefront this year as housing prices have climbed and property tax bills have often increased along with them. As lawmakers mull a range of property tax cuts, circuit breakers are the best possible approach—and these policies are receiving far too little attention in the states.

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

The push by Congressional Republicans to make the provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent would cost nearly $300 billion in the first year and deliver the bulk of the tax benefits to the wealthiest Americans.

Minnesota Lawmakers Re-Envision State Tax System to Center Equity

Minnesota’s House, Senate and Governor’s office have each proposed their own vision as to how the state should maximize its $17.5 billion surplus and raise new revenue, and these tax plans make one thing clear: Minnesota lawmakers are serious about using tax policy to advance tax equity and improve the lives of Minnesotans.

State Rundown 4/27: Health, Wealth, and State Tax Policy

This week the importance of state tax policy is center stage once again...

State Rundown 4/19: Revenue Discussions Heat Up Like the Temperature

Tax season has ended for most filers, but the topic remains a hot one in states around the country...

State Rundown 4/12: Tax Day 2023 – A Good Reminder of the Impact of Our Collective Investments

With Tax Day quickly approaching it’s worth taking some time to reflect not just on tax forms (though those are important!), but also on the current state of state tax policy...

blog  

State Rundown 4/6: More SALT, Please

April 6, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 4/6: More SALT, Please

This week, a bill out of Arkansas that would cut the top personal income tax rate and the corporate income tax rate found its way to the governor’s desk...

State Rundown 3/30: A Win for Tax Equity in The Evergreen State

Over the past week Washington state saw a major victory for tax fairness after the state Supreme Court held the state’s capital gains tax—passed in 2021—constitutional...

State Rundown 3/23: A Spring Awakening of Tax Proposals

As nature bursts into life and color with the arrival of spring, state tax proposals are doing the same as the legislative seeds planted by lawmakers earlier this year start to grow, blossom, and in some cases rot. However, some governors are not entirely happy with what state lawmakers have produced.

State Rundown 2/23: Tax Dominos Take Shape, Begin to Fall as Session Heats Up

The 2023 legislative session is in full swing, and dominos continue to be set up as others fall...

State Rundown 2/15: Love You, Love You Not – Tax Edition

This week, a fresh bouquet of tax proposals was delivered by state lawmakers, but not all of them have left us with that warm, fuzzy feeling in our stomachs...

Tax season has officially kicked off and with Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day right around the corner, it serves as another reminder for how important the EITC is...

State Lawmakers Should Break the 2023 Tax Cut Fever Before It’s Too Late

Despite mixed economic signals for 2023, including a possible recession, many state lawmakers plan to use temporary budget surpluses to forge ahead with permanent, regressive tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of low- and middle-income households. These cuts would put state finances in a precarious position and further erode public investments in education, transportation and health, all of which are crucial for creating inclusive, vibrant communities where everyone, not just the rich, can achieve economic security and thrive. In the event of an economic downturn, these results would be accelerated and amplified.

news release  

Flat Taxes: ‘All Sizzle and No Steak’

January 17, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

Flat Taxes: ‘All Sizzle and No Steak’

While most states have a graduated rate income tax, some state lawmakers have recently become enamored with the idea of moving away from graduated rate personal income taxes and toward flat rate taxes instead. But flat taxes create problems for ordinary families and let the wealthy off the hook. When faced with a flat income […]

State Rundown 1/11: Governors Ready to Talk Tax in 2023 State Addresses

Governors have begun their annual trek to the podium in statehouses across the U.S. to lay out their visions for 2023, and so far, taxes look like they will play a major role in debates throughout state legislative sessions...

State Rundown 1/5: State Taxes Coming in Hot in New Year

The new year often brings with it new goals and a desire to take on complex problems with a fresh perspective. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always apply to state lawmakers when considering tax policy...

State Rundown 12/15: State Priorities for 2023 Begin to Take Shape

State leaders have begun to release budget projections for 2023 and a familiar theme has emerged once again: big revenue surpluses, which have many state lawmakers pushing for another round of tax cuts despite the monumental challenges that we as a country face that call for sustainable revenues...

State Child Tax Credits and Child Poverty: A 50-State Analysis

Regardless of future Child Tax Credit developments at the federal level, state policies can supplement the federal credit to deliver additional benefits to children and families. State credits can be specifically tailored to meet the needs of local populations while also producing long-term benefits for society as a whole

blog  

State Rundown 10/5: Forecasting Ain’t Easy

October 5, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 10/5: Forecasting Ain’t Easy

Although the weather is beginning to cool down in parts of the country, the same cannot be said for many state economies, which are still running hot. That, however, doesn’t mean that the good times are guaranteed to last...

State Rundown 3/30: Late-Session Surprises Leave Us Unimpressed

Several states have dropped a few late-session surprises, and from the looks of it, they’re not the good kind...

State Rundown 2/16: Spending Priorities Emerge as the Votes Are Counted

State lawmakers have been busy working out deals and negotiating how best to use excess revenues, and as the votes are beginning to come in, spending priorities are becoming clearer...

State Rundown 11/10: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…Election Season?!

If the leaves are turning colors and you find yourself walking out of the office into pitch-black darkness, it only means that time of the year is upon us—and no, I'm not talking about the holiday season. Before that, it’s the equally important election season...

blog  

State Rundown 10/13: Haven Sent Edition

October 13, 2021 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 10/13: Haven Sent Edition

The release of the ‘Pandora Papers’ showed once again that states and their tax systems play an important role in wealth inequality, and in this case, worsening it...

brief  

Effects of the President’s Capital Gains and Dividends Tax Proposals by State

May 6, 2021 • By ITEP Staff, Matthew Gardner, Steve Wamhoff

Effects of the President’s Capital Gains and Dividends Tax Proposals by State

President Biden’s proposal to eliminate the lower income tax rate on capital gains (profits from selling assets) and stock dividends for millionaires would affect less than half of one percent (0.4 percent) of U.S. taxpayers if it goes into effect in 2022. The share of taxpayers affected would be less than 1 percent in every state.

Taxes and Racial Equity: An Overview of State and Local Policy Impacts

Historic and current injustices, both in public policy and in broader society, have resulted in vast disparities in income and wealth across race and ethnicity. Employment discrimination has denied good job opportunities to people of color. An uneven system of public education funding advantages wealthier white people and produces unequal educational outcomes. Racist policies such as redlining and discrimination in lending practices have denied countless Black families the opportunity to become homeowners or business owners, creating extraordinary differences in intergenerational wealth. These inequities have long-lasting effects that compound over time.