The governors of both Kansas and Wisconsin recently stood up to legislators who tried to push through costly tax cuts that would overwhelmingly benefit the most well-off. Lawmakers in those states and others should shift their focus from expensive, top-heavy tax cuts to tried and true policies that help middle-class and low-income families.
Neva Butkus
Neva joined ITEP in 2021. As a State Policy Analyst, Neva supports researchers and advocates in their fight for equitable and adequate state tax systems through policy analysis and research. Prior to ITEP, Neva was a Senior Policy Analyst at the Louisiana Budget Project where she worked on issues of tax policy, unemployment insurance and K-12 finance in Louisiana.
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blog March 6, 2024 Tax Cuts Fail Again in Kansas and Wisconsin; Lawmakers Should Pivot to Proven Investments
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media mention February 5, 2024 MinnPost: Minnesota’s ‘Most Progressive’ Tax State Designation Explained
Minnesota is now the state with the nation’s most-progressive tax system in the U.S., as calculated by the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Its data-driven assessment looks at the share of state taxes that are borne by various income groups. Progressive is defined not in partisan terms but to describe tax systems that have higher income taxpayers devoting a larger percentage of their incomes to taxes than lower-income taxpayers.
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media mention January 29, 2024 Video: ITEP’s Neva Butkus Discusses Wisconsin’s Tax Code on ABC News
“What this really comes down to is fairness,” Neva Butkus, a state policy analyst for the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said.
She contributed to “Who Pays?,” the seventh edition of a periodic analysis offered by ITEP of tax policies in all 50 states.
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blog January 22, 2024 Latest Kansas Tax Plan Would Provide an Estimated $875,000 Tax Cut to Charles Koch
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… -
media mention January 18, 2024 Associated Press: GOP Lawmakers, Democratic Governor in Kansas Fighting Again Over Income Tax Cuts
Top Republican legislators in Kansas have renewed a fight with the Democratic governor over income tax cuts that have drawn bipartisan criticism as favoring the wealthy, with no sign of… -
media mention October 21, 2023 Video: Tax Policy Experts Warn Indiana Tax Force Drastic Cuts Could Hurt Lowest-Earning Hoosiers
As Indiana seems poised to restructure its tax system in the next few years, some policy experts are urging the State and Local Tax Task Force not to make drastic… -
ITEP Work in Action October 20, 2023 Testimony of Neva Butkus Before the Indiana State and Local Tax Review Task Force
Today ITEP State Policy Analyst Neva Butkus presented to the Indiana State and Local Tax Review Task Force. For a related blog from Neva, click here. For her slide deck,… -
blog October 19, 2023 Eliminating Indiana’s Income Tax Would Jeopardize Public Services & Create a Windfall for the Well-Off
Meaningful investments in Indiana’s future require a smart, and fair, tax code that recognizes current economic realities and can raise a sustainable stream of funding from those most able to pay.
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brief September 12, 2023 States are Boosting Economic Security with Child Tax Credits in 2023
Fourteen states now provide Child Tax Credits to reduce poverty, boost economic security, and invest in children. This year alone, lawmakers in three states created new Child Tax Credits while lawmakers in seven states expanded existing credits. To maximize impact, lawmakers should consider making their credits fully refundable, not including an earnings requirement, setting a maximum amount per child instead of per household, setting state-specific phase-out ranges that target low- and middle-income families, indexing to inflation, and offering the option of advanced payments.
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brief September 12, 2023 Boosting Incomes, Improving Equity: State Earned Income Tax Credits in 2023
Nearly two-thirds of states (31 plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) have an Earned Income Tax Credit, an effective tool that boosts low-paid workers’ incomes and helps lower-income families achieve greater economic security. This year, 12 states expanded and improved EITCs.
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ITEP Work in Action September 12, 2023 Testimony of ITEP’s Neva Butkus Before the Arkansas Senate Revenue and Tax Committee
The corporate and personal income tax changes under Senate Bill 8 would cost the state more than $200 million, with 70 percent of the overall cuts benefiting Arkansans in the top 20 percent of households.
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blog July 7, 2023 Refundable Credits a Winning Policy Choice Again in 2023
State lawmakers continue to make groundbreaking progress on state tax credits, with 17 states creating or enhancing Child Tax Credits or Earned Income Tax Credits so far this year. These policies have the potential to boost family economic security and dramatically reduce the number of children living below the poverty line.
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blog May 3, 2023 Minnesota Lawmakers Re-Envision State Tax System to Center Equity
Minnesota’s House, Senate and Governor’s office have each proposed their own vision as to how the state should maximize its $17.5 billion surplus and raise new revenue, and these tax plans make one thing clear: Minnesota lawmakers are serious about using tax policy to advance tax equity and improve the lives of Minnesotans.
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media mention August 29, 2022 Minnesota Reformer: Scott Jensen’s Proposal to Eliminate Income Tax Would Benefit Minnesota’s Wealthiest
Republican nominee for governor Scott Jensen wants to eliminate the state income tax, which would create a $15 billion hole in the state budget every year. Read more. -
blog July 22, 2022 Legislative Momentum in 2022: New and Expanded Child Tax Credits and EITCs
State legislatures across the country made investments in their future, centering children, families, and workers by enacting and expanding state Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs), Child Tax Credits (CTCs), and… -
media mention March 11, 2022 Bridge Michigan: Michigan GOP tax cut plan helps wealthy at expense of equity
Following is an excerpt from an opEd co-authored by ITEP policy analyst Neva Butkus in Bridge Michigan: At the beginning of 2022, the national Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy… -
media mention February 17, 2022 American Prospect: The Year of the Tax Cut
State lawmakers are also pointing to substantial, but temporary, budget surpluses to justify tax cuts, but these surpluses are “deceptive and fleeting,” says Neva Butkus of the Institute on Taxation… -
media mention February 4, 2022 Newsweek: States’ Pursuit of Top-Heavy Tax Cuts Is Disconnected from Reality
The following is an excerpt of an opEd by Aidan Davis, ITEP senior policy analyst, and Neva Butkus, policy analyst, published on Feb. 4 in Newsweek: One report after another… -
blog January 10, 2022 The New Trend: Short-Sighted Tax Cuts for the Rich Will Not Grow State Economies
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.
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blog September 14, 2021 New Census Data Highlight Need for Permanent Child Tax Credit Expansion
The status quo was a choice, but the Census data released today shows that different policy choices can create drastically different outcomes for children and families. It is time for our state and federal legislators to put people first when it comes to recovery.