Recent Work by ITEP

Latest Kansas Tax Plan Would Provide an Estimated $875,000 Tax Cut to Charles Koch

January 22, 2024 • By Carl Davis, Neva Butkus

Last week, both houses of the Kansas legislature approved a significant tax cut centered around replacing the state’s graduated rate income tax structure with a flat tax instead. The bulk of this would flow to upper-income families, mostly through lowering the state’s top income tax rate from 5.7 to 5.25 percent. This tax cut would […]

How the Fairness of State Tax Codes Affects Public Education

January 19, 2024 • By Carl Davis

The findings of Who Pays? go a long way toward explaining why so many states are failing to raise the amount of revenue needed to provide full and robust support for our public schools.

State Rundown 1/18: State Tax Priorities Taking Shape in 2024

January 18, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Tax policy themes have begun to crop up in states as governors give their yearly addresses and legislators lay out their plans for the 2024 legislative season...

Worthwhile Ideas for a Stronger and Fairer D.C. Tax Code

January 17, 2024 • By Andrew Boardman, Kamolika Das, Marco Guzman

The nation’s capital has a once-in-a-decade opportunity to advance a stronger and fairer local tax code. New draft recommendations from a key advisory panel will help leaders make the most of the moment.

Ongoing Use of Offshore Tax Havens Demonstrates the Need for the Global Minimum Tax

January 17, 2024 • By Steve Wamhoff

Key Findings To avoid taxation, American corporations use accounting gimmicks that make profits appear to be earned in foreign jurisdictions which tax corporate profits very lightly or not at all. In 2020, American corporations claimed profits in 15 of these jurisdictions that were often far too high to be possible. For example, in four jurisdictions […]

Proposed Tax Deal Would Help Millions of Kids with Child Tax Credit Expansion While Extending Damaging Corporate Tax Breaks

January 16, 2024 • By Joe Hughes

On January 16, Congressional tax writers officially announced the details of a tax policy agreement. The deal includes expansions of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to improve access for low- and middle-income families as well as expansions of the 2017 Trump tax cuts for businesses. The agreement also includes bipartisan tax priorities tax provisions for […]

State Rundown 1/11: Sounding the Alarm on Regressive State & Local Tax Codes

January 11, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

States got a wake-up call this week as ITEP released the latest edition of our flagship Who Pays? report...

In Most States, the Tax Code Makes Inequality Worse

January 9, 2024 • By Carl Davis

The vast majority of state and local tax systems are upside-down, with the wealthy paying a far lesser share of their income in taxes than low- and middle-income families. Yet a few states have made strides to buck that trend and have tax codes that are somewhat progressive and therefore do not worsen inequality.

State Rundown 1/4: New Year, New Opportunities, Same Tax Cut Proposals

January 4, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

The year may be new, but state lawmakers seem to have the same old resolution: slashing state income taxes...

Which States Allow Deductions for Federal Income Taxes Paid?

January 3, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Three states allow an unusual income tax deduction for federal income taxes paid. Missouri and Oregon limit these deductions by capping and/or phasing out the deduction, while Alabama, offers what amounts to an unlimited deduction. These deductions are detrimental to state income tax systems on many fronts, as they offer large benefits to high-income earners […]