The ITEP Guide to State & Local Taxes
Other Revenues
How Do Legal Fines and Fees Work?
Local and state governments receive funds from fines and fees paid by people and businesses who have been charged with various offenses. These supplement tax revenues. Such financial penalties are intended to deter and punish bad behavior. But relying too heavily on fines and fees worsens economic and racial inequality, creates incentives for over-policing, and […]
How Do States Tax Cannabis?
A growing number of states are legalizing and taxing cannabis. Cannabis taxes are raising revenue for education, health care, and addressing substance abuse while encouraging consumers to moderate their use. But high cannabis taxes also mean that low-income communities previously targeted for enforcement now pay a disproportionate share of tax.
Institute on Taxation
and Economic Policy
ITEP is a non-profit, non-partisan tax policy organization. We conduct rigorous analyses of tax and economic proposals and provide data-driven recommendations to shape equitable and sustainable tax systems.
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