Recent Work by ITEP

State Rundown 1/26: States Offering Preview of Tax Themes and Trends for 2022

January 26, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

Governors and legislators are beginning to settle on and advance tax bills that could drastically shape the future of their states and several trends and themes are beginning to emerge...

Why Tax Reform Should Remain on the Table

January 25, 2022 • By Amy Hanauer

In this country, wealthier than any other and wealthier than we’ve ever been, we can create a smarter, more equitable tax code that better taxes those most able to pay.

Revenue-Raising Proposals in the Evolving Build Back Better Debate

January 25, 2022 • By Steve Wamhoff

The United States needs to raise more tax revenue to fund investments in the American people. This revenue can be obtained with reforms that would require the richest and wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share to support the society that makes their fortunes possible.

State Rundown 1/20: Governors Eyeing Tax Cuts in Yearly Addresses

January 20, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

A common theme is emerging out of states, as governors around the U.S. begin the year with their annual state speeches, and the news does not bode well for long-term growth and sustainable budgets...

Mississippi Is the Latest in a String of States Pursuing Short-Sighted, Top-Heavy Tax Cuts

January 19, 2022 • By Kamolika Das

Not only is Mississippi's latest tax proposal deeply inequitable, the state simply cannot afford it.

The Compelling Data and Moral Case for Continuing the Child Tax Credit Expansion

January 14, 2022 • By Alex Welch, ITEP Staff, Jenice Robinson

In just six short months, the enhanced Child Tax Credit (CTC), enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), decreased the number of children living in poverty by 40 percent. ITEP estimated that the lowest-income 20 percent of households with children would receive a 35 percent income boost from this policy alone in 2021. This is a meaningful, life-changing sum.

State Rundown 1/13: The Tax Cuts Cometh, But There Is a Better Way

January 13, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

As expected, with the start of many new legislative sessions around the country, lawmakers have introduced a slew of tax cut plans following better-than-expected budget outlooks that have, so far, weathered the impact of the pandemic...

The Problem with Returning to a $2,000 Non-Refundable Child Tax Credit

January 13, 2022 • By Joe Hughes

Prior to last year, more than one in three children lived in households with incomes too low to receive the full $2,000 credit because it is not fully refundable. This means earnings requirements and other limits reduce the amount tax filers can receive as a refund. In fact, the maximum refundable portion is reduced to $1,400 (less than half of the maximum refundable credit available in 2021).

School’s In: Tackling College Affordability Through State Tax Codes

January 11, 2022 • By Brakeyshia Samms

Given that a sweeping federal solution to the college affordability crisis does not appear to be on the immediate horizon, it is even more important that states take whatever steps they can to expand college access and affordability. While most of that effort will need to occur on the spending side of the ledger—such as through lowering tuition costs, expanding financial aid, or perhaps even funding free college outright—tax policy also has a role to play.

The New Trend: Short-Sighted Tax Cuts for the Rich Will Not Grow State Economies

January 10, 2022 • By Neva Butkus

The same legislators who touted tax cuts for the rich as solution to our problems before the pandemic are also saying tax cuts for the rich are a solution during the pandemic. Tax cuts cannot be a solution to everything, especially at a time when the richest Americans are amassing more wealth than ever.