Recent Work by ITEP

Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States 3rd Edition

November 18, 2009 • By Carl Davis, Matthew Gardner

Who Pays? is a comprehensive analysis of state and local tax systems in all fifty states. The study, released on November 18, 2009, shows that on average, state and local tax systems require the poorest taxpayers to pay the highest effective tax rates. Read the Full Report (PDF)

A Progressive Strategy for Meeting Illinois’ Current and Future Revenue Needs

October 19, 2009 • By Matthew Gardner

Over the course of the past year, Illinois’ personal income tax has received a great deal of attention. In March, Governor Pat Quinn put forward a plan to raise the existing income tax rate of 3 percent to 4.5 percent and to increase the value of personal and dependent exemptions from $2,000 to $6,000; the […]

Where Have All of Maryland’s Millionaires Gone?

September 29, 2009 • By ITEP Staff

A more thorough examination of preliminary tax return data for 2007 and 2008 suggests that, while Maryland millionaires may have moved, their most likely destination was a different income group. Read the Full Report (PDF)

Perspective on Arizona’s Tax Structure – Past, Present, and Future (PowerPoint)

August 24, 2009 • By ITEP Staff

Download the Powerpoint Presentation

Recent Assertions about State Tax Increases Don’t Hold Much Water [Revised Aug 7, 2009]

August 7, 2009 • By ITEP Staff

A more careful examination of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data for the period from 1997 to 2006 reveals a far different picture, however. They show that the number of “rich” taxpayers (federal income tax filers with adjusted gross incomes (AGI) in excess of $200,000) rose considerably in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York over the […]

Testimony before the Maryland Business Tax Commission

July 9, 2009 • By ITEP Staff

Consequently, combined reporting represents the most comprehensive option available to states seeking to halt the erosion of their corporate tax bases and to curtail corporate tax avoidance. It ensures that form – specifically, the form in which corporations choose to organize themselves, which may be manipulated to reduce their tax liabilities – does not triumph […]

Serious Problems, Stark Choices

June 15, 2009 • By ITEP Staff

Kentucky’s tax system currently faces two serious problems. The first – and most immediate – is that Kentucky’s tax system is insufficient, as it fails to produce enough revenue to fund the public services on which Kentuckians rely. Recent data from the Commonwealth’s Consensus Forecasting Group (CFG) indicate that Kentucky faces a $996 million budget […]

Kentucky Forward Press Conference – ITEP Statement on Progressive Tax Reform

May 28, 2009 • By ITEP Staff

As Kentucky grapples with the news of a potential $1 billion budget shortfall, there are good reasons for state lawmakers to turn to progressive tax reform instead of resorting to painful spending cuts. Kentucky’s overall tax structure is currently quite regressive, meaning that low-and middle-income families pay more as a share of their income in […]

ITEP Testimony on Corporate Tax Reform before the New York State Senate Select Committee on Budget and Tax Reform

May 21, 2009 • By ITEP Staff

The stated purpose of this hearing is to evaluate the impact of New York’s business taxes on equity and economic growth. These are laudable concerns: the most basic questions to ask about any corporate break are whether they are allocated fairly, and whether there’s any reason to think they will help create jobs in New […]

Ready, Set, Reform – How the Income Tax Can Help Make the Illinois Tax System Fairer and More Sustainable

May 15, 2009 • By ITEP Staff

The Illinois tax system faces a crisis of both adequacy and equity. The state must confront a projected $11.6 billion budget shortfall over the next two fiscal years that will likely require a variety of difficult spending and tax policy choices, and also faces a fundamental long-term mismatch between its spending needs and the revenues […]