Matthew Gardner

Matt Gardner is a senior fellow at ITEP where he has worked since 1998. He previously served as ITEP’s executive director from 2006 to 2016. Matt’s work focuses on federal, state and local tax systems, with a particular emphasis on the impact of tax policies on low- and moderate-income taxpayers. He uses ITEP’s microsimulation model to produce economic projections and analyses on the effects of current and proposed federal and state tax and budget policies.

• report   March 17, 2017

  Affordable Care Act Repeal Includes a $31 Billion Tax Cut for a Handful of the Wealthiest Taxpayers: 50-State Breakdown

  Congressional Republicans have proposed legislation that would repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including rolling back a number of tax changes that were enacted to pay for the ACA’s health care expansions. Among these tax changes are two targeted income tax increases that took effect in 2013, each of which apply only to a small number of the wealthiest Americans: the net investment tax and additional Medicare tax. Repealing these two taxes would cost over $31 billion a year if implemented in tax year 2016, and 85 percent of the benefit from repealing these taxes would go to the best off 1 percent of Americans nationwide.

  This analysis includes a 50-state breakdown of these impacts.

• report   March 9, 2017

  The 35 Percent Corporate Tax Myth

  Profitable corporations are subject to a 35 percent federal income tax rate on their U.S. profits. But many corporations pay far less, or nothing at all, because of the many tax loopholes and special breaks they enjoy. This report documents just how successful many Fortune 500 corporations have been at using loopholes and special breaks over the past eight years. As lawmakers look to reform the corporate tax code, this report shows that the focus of any overhaul should be on closing loopholes rather than on cutting tax rates.

• report   February 22, 2017

  Regressive and Loophole-Ridden: Issues with the House GOP Border Adjustment Tax Proposal

  In the summer of 2016, House Republicans released a blueprint for tax reform that is likely to be used as the starting point for major tax legislation in 2017.[1] One of the most radical provisions is a proposal to shift the corporate tax code from a residence-based to a destination-based system through applying a border adjustment on exports and imports. This proposal has major flaws that would make it a challenge to implement. Further, it is inherently regressive, rife with loopholes and would violate international agreements.

• report   October 4, 2016

  Offshore Shell Games 2016

  This study explores how in 2015 Fortune 500 companies used tax haven subsidiaries to avoid paying taxes on much of their income. It reveals that tax haven use is now standard practice among the Fortune 500 and that a handful of the country’s wealthiest corporations benefit the most from this tax avoidance scheme.

• report   April 15, 2015

  Undocumented Immigrants’ State & Local Tax Contributions (2015)

  This report was updated February 2016 Read as a PDF. (Includes Full Appendix of State-by-State Data) Report Landing Page In the public debates over federal immigration reform, sufficient and accurate information…
• report   January 30, 2015

  Who Pays? (Fourth Edition)

  Major tax overhauls are on the agenda in a record number of states, and “Who Pays?” documents in state-by-state detail the precise distribution of state income taxes, sales and excise…
• report   March 19, 2014

  90 Reasons We Need State Corporate Tax Reform

  As states struggle with tough budget decisions about funding essential public services, profitable Fortunate 500 companies are paying little or nothing in state income taxes thanks to copious loopholes, lavish giveaways and crafty accounting, a new study by Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy reveals.

• report   February 25, 2014

  The Sorry State of Corporate Taxes

  Many of America’s Most Profitable Corporations Pay Little or No Federal Income Taxes; Multinationals Pay Higher Rates Abroad Than in the U.S.

• report   July 10, 2013

  Undocumented Immigrants’ State and Local Tax Contributions (2013)

  In the public debates over federal immigration reform, much has been made of the argument that undocumented immigrants would be a drain on federal, state and local government resources if granted legal status under reform. But it is also true that the 11.2 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States are already taxpayers, and that their local, state and federal tax contributions would increase under reform.

• report   April 25, 2012

  How Federal Tax Reform Can Help or Hurt State and Local Governments

  Federal tax reform can affect state and local taxes in several ways. The federal government can create, repeal or change tax expenditures in a way that is passed on to…
• report   December 7, 2011

  Corporate Tax Dodging In the Fifty States, 2008-2010

  In October, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley suggested that gradually repealing the state’s corporate income tax should be a priority for lawmakers in 2012. Haley’s idea was alarming, but hardly…
• report   November 13, 2011

  Corporate Taxpayers & Corporate Tax Dodgers

  Earlier this year, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett made headlines by publicly decrying the stark inequity between his own effective federal tax rate (about 17 percent, by his estimate) and…
• report   June 16, 2011

  Illinois Must Ignore CME’s Tax Tantrum

  How much is enough? On top of the close to $500 million in corporate tax breaks Illinois doles out each year, Governor Pat Quinn now finds himself confronted by a…
• report   March 31, 2011

  In It for the Long Haul: Why Concerns over Personal Income Tax “Volatility” Are Overblown

  The precipitous drop in state tax collections during the recent recession has prompted some observers to argue that relying on volatile state taxes is a recipe for budgetary disaster. The…
• report   March 24, 2011

  Should Illinois Tax Retirement Income?

  Earlier this month, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton suggested that limiting the state’s generous income tax break for retirement income “would just be a matter of fairness.” Senator Cullerton’s suggestion…
• report   March 3, 2011

  The ITEP Guide to Fair State and Local Taxes

  The ITEP Guide to Fair State and Local Taxes, released in March of 2011, offers citizens, activists, journalists, and policymakers a detailed primer on state and local tax policy. The…
• report   December 15, 2010

  How the Bush Tax Cuts Affect State Revenues

  Less than one month from now, federal tax cuts pushed through by President George W. Bush are scheduled to expire—and Congressional tax writers have spent much of this year debating…
• report   June 15, 2010

  ITEP Podcast on Maine Voters’ Rejection of Tax Reform – download audio (.mp3)

  Download the MP3
• report   April 15, 2010

  Massey Pays One-Sixth of 35% Federal Tax Rate, Little in State Income Tax

  A new analysis shows that Massey Energy, which owned the Upper Big Branch mine where 29 West Virginia miners were killed last week, paid an average of 5.6 percent of…
• report   November 18, 2009

  Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States 3rd Edition

  Who Pays? is a comprehensive analysis of state and local tax systems in all fifty states. The study, released on November 18, 2009, shows that on average, state and local…
• report   October 19, 2009

  A Progressive Strategy for Meeting Illinois’ Current and Future Revenue Needs

  Over the course of the past year, Illinois’ personal income tax has received a great deal of attention. In March, Governor Pat Quinn put forward a plan to raise the…