Recent Work by ITEP
An important reform in the bill before Congress would tax stock buybacks in a way that is more comparable to how dividends are taxed. Corporations would be required to pay a tax equal to 1 percent of their stock repurchases, ensuring that profits shifted to shareholders in this way are subject to some federal tax.
The Impact of Work From Home on Commercial Property Values and the Property Tax in U.S. Cities
November 4, 2021 • By ITEP Staff
The fiscal implications of a decline in commercial property values are important because the property tax is the dominant local source of taxes, and commercial property makes up a significant portion of the property base in cities.
Senators Menendez and Sanders Show the Way Forward on the SALT Cap
November 3, 2021 • By Steve Wamhoff
Amending the Build Back Better bill to fully repeal the SALT cap would mean that the richest 1 percent could pay less in personal income taxes than they do now, which goes against everything President Biden has said for the past year as he promoted this legislation.
Tax Provisions in the White House Build Back Better Framework: The Good and Bad
October 28, 2021 • By Amy Hanauer
The tax provisions in the Build Back Better framework released by the White House today include enormously helpful reforms but also some disappointments. The good news is that the plan would raise nearly $2 trillion over a decade from those who can afford to pay–the richest Americans and large, profitable corporations. The bad news is that some fundamental problems with our tax code would remain unaddressed.
President Reagan is lionized by many for cutting taxes and government. But the story is more complicated. Reagan knee-capped regulation and much domestic spending, and early in his administration he slashed taxes in ways that drastically reduced revenue. Yet he vastly expanded military spending, so his cuts were only to things he disliked. Less known […]
The end of Spooky Season is near but that hasn’t stopped state lawmakers from adding their frightening plans into the bubbling cauldron of bad tax policy ideas...
America’s Richest Would Finally Pay Taxes on Most of Their Income Under Wyden’s Billionaires Income Tax
October 27, 2021 • By Steve Wamhoff
While the Ways and Means bill includes many helpful tax reforms, people like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk would still pay an effective tax rate of zero percent on most of their income if it was enacted without this change. Sen. Wyden’s proposal would finally end this injustice.
Senate Democrats’ Corporate Minimum Tax Could Address the Worst Corporate Tax Dodging
October 27, 2021 • By Steve Wamhoff
There is no reason corporations reporting hundreds of millions, but not billions, of dollars in profits to their shareholders should be allowed to avoid paying taxes. Nonetheless, the corporate minimum tax is a huge step forward and a valuable component of the Build Back Better plan.
Boosting Incomes and Improving Tax Equity with State Earned Income Tax Credits in 2021
October 21, 2021 • By Aidan Davis
The EITC benefits low-income people of all races and ethnicities. But it is particularly impactful in historically excluded Black and Hispanic communities where discrimination in the labor market, inequitable educational systems, and countless other inequities have relegated a disproportionate share of people to low-wage jobs.
Federal Tax Reform Would be a Step in the Right Direction for Millennials of Color
October 18, 2021 • By Brakeyshia Samms
Currently, millennials of color are worse off than their parents when it comes to wealth expectations. So, if one of the goals of federal policymakers is to reduce racial income and wealth disparities, the proposals outlined are a good start. Tax reforms included in the budget package making its way through Congress would help by boosting incomes and making raising children more affordable—two things that would help millennials of color thrive in today’s economy.
ITEP in the News
Quartz: The $40,000 SALT Goldmine Only the Wealthy Will Actually Get
AP News: Georgia Republicans, Against Backdrop of 2026 Election, Push to Eliminate State Income Tax
Barron's: Social Security Is 90 Years Old. Trump Just Weighed In.
Nonprofit Quarterly: Class Not Dismissed: Mamdani, Nonprofits, and the Fight for Economic Justice
Wall Street Journal: Blue States Hunt for Ways to Wring More Taxes From the Wealthy
ITEP Work in Action
Democrat Committee on Education & Workforce: Ranking Member Bonamici Opening Remarks at ECESE Subcommittee Hearing on Reading and Math in K-12 Schools
Economic Policy Institute: Unions Aren’t Just Good for Workers—They Also Benefit Communities and Democracy
Hawai'i Appleseed: Incoming Federal Tax Cuts Will Heavily Favor Hawaiʻi’s Wealthiest Residents
New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute: New Federal Reconciliation Law Reduces Taxes, Health Access, and Food Assistance Supports for Granite Staters
United Ways of California: The Economic Impact of Immigrants in California
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