Recent Work by ITEP

Letter to IRS on Section 1001 Regulation in 2023-2024 Priority Guidance Plan

June 9, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

Read as PDF Re: Recommendation for Inclusion of Section 1001 Regulation in 2023-2024 Priority Guidance Plan To Whom It May Concern, We are writing to respectfully urge that the IRS return to the work it left unfinished in 2019 when it issued final regulations on “Contributions in Exchange for State or Local Tax Credits” (RIN: […]

State Rundown 6/7: The Budget Race Continues

June 7, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

Across the country, the marathon budget season has held pace, with a steady stream of bills continuing to cross the finish line...

The Real Impact of State Tax Cuts

June 5, 2023 • By Aidan Davis

This op-ed was originally published by Route Fifty and co-written by ITEP State Director Aidan Davis and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Senior Advisor for State Tax Policy Wesley Tharpe. There’s a troubling trend in state capitols across the country: Some lawmakers are pushing big, permanent tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy and […]

Debt-Limit Deal’s Provision to Let Tax Cheats Off the Hook Will Increase the Deficit

June 1, 2023 • By Jon Whiten

The latest debt-limit bill in Congress includes a provision to claw back important IRS funding meant to crack down on wealthy tax cheats. This cut in funding would actually increase the deficit while continuing the rig the system in favor of the most well-off.

State Rundown 6/1: State Revenue Highs and Lows

June 1, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

Short-sighted tax cuts continue to make their way to Governors’ desks this week. In Florida, Gov. DeSantis signed a $1.3 billion tax cut package with $550 million of the tax cuts from sales tax holidays, alone. The Nebraska legislature also sent $6.4 billion in tax cuts to Gov. Pillen’s desk which includes an enormous personal income tax cut that will reduce taxes on the top 1 percent by tens of thousands of dollars.

Congress Should Consider Attaching Work Requirements to the Biggest Tax Break for the Rich

May 25, 2023 • By Steve Wamhoff

Instead of focusing on low-income people who are already mostly employed or facing significant barriers to employment, lawmakers who want to encourage labor force participation should revisit existing tax breaks subsidizing wealthy individuals who live off their assets rather than work.

State Rundown 5/25: The North Star State Leads the Way on Tax Fairness

May 24, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

As we approach the midpoint of 2023, it’s a good time to look back at the progress states have made in the name of tax fairness and equity...

Circuit Breakers and Other Income-Based Property Tax Programs in 2023

May 19, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

No tax cut offers a more targeted solution to property tax affordability problems than circuit breaker credits. This is because circuit breakers are the only tools for reducing property taxes that measure the affordability of property taxes relative to families’ ability to pay. Circuit breakers protect families from property tax “overload” much like how traditional […]

State Rundown 5/18: Credits, Cuts, and Corporate Revenue Raisers

May 18, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

This past week, in statehouses around the country, tax policy decisions are moving fast as budgets were signed and budget plans were released and passed...

States are Talking About the Wrong Kind of Property Tax Cuts

May 11, 2023 • By Brakeyshia Samms, Carl Davis

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.