Amy Hanauer
Amy Hanauer joined ITEP in 2020, bringing nearly 30 years of experience working to create economic policy that advances social justice. As executive director of both ITEP and Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ), Amy provides vision and leadership to promote fair and equitable state and national tax policy.
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media mention March 15, 2021 CNBC: Expecting a $1,400 Stimulus Check by Mail? Here’s What to Watch for
Instead, the checks will be signed by a career official at the Bureau of Fiscal Service, which is working with the IRS to deliver the money. This has been the… -
news release March 10, 2021 American Rescue Plan Uses Government Muscle to Tackle Big Economic Problems
Media contact Following is a statement by Amy Hanauer, executive director of The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, regarding the American Rescue Plan, which has cleared both houses of… -
news release March 2, 2021 ITEP: Senate Should Pass Rescue Plan without Delay
Senators and representatives can look to recent history—the 2007-2009 recession—for lessons on how to best address the current economic crisis. If we do too little, the economy will stay weak much longer, hurting all of us.
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blog February 5, 2021 Faulty Fact Check on Tax Breaks for the Rich and Corporations
When it comes to tax policy, the details are complicated, but the story is often simple. For example, President Trump’s so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) disproportionately benefits the rich. This is not controversial. Yet some opinion makers with large megaphones get lost in the details and come to conclusions that only create more confusion.
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blog February 4, 2021 Corporations Avoid Taxes in a Pandemic
The public and the Biden administration say corporations should contribute to the public infrastructure that lets them earn so much. We agree. It’s the least we can ask, in a pandemic and at all other times too.
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media mention February 3, 2021 Public News Service: Report: Biden Relief Package Could Reduce Child Poverty in Nebraska
President Joe Biden’s proposal to expand the Child Tax Credit would help reduce child poverty and extend the credit to nearly half of all Black and Hispanic children, according to… -
media mention January 25, 2021 The Nation: These Progressives Helped Keep Hope Alive in 2020—and Prepare Us for 2021
The Nation’s annual honor roll recognizes progressive activists and leaders who helped keep hope alive and set the groundwork for transformational change in 2021. Since taking over in 2019 as… -
January 21, 2021 On COVID-19 and Economic Recovery “There will be calls for austerity from politicians who were happy to incur debt to pay for tax cuts but now want to deny necessary… -
news release January 20, 2021 ITEP Statement on President Biden’s Inauguration: Ready for Change
Media contact Following is a statement by Amy Hanauer, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, regarding President Biden’s inauguration. “Today, we pause to recognize President Joe… -
blog January 15, 2021 Happy Double Take: A President Who Takes Economic Challenges Seriously
After a solid year of federal policy doing too little to combat staggering job loss, spiking poverty, a raging pandemic and nearly 400,000 COVID deaths, we are ready for a leader who wants to hunker down and get to work on behalf of the people. So we did a happy double take when President-elect Joe Biden outlined his economic plan last night.
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news release January 14, 2021 ITEP: Biden’s American Rescue Plan Is the Start We Need to Right the Economy
Following is a statement by Amy Hanauer, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, regarding President-elect Biden’s economic package released today. “President-elect Biden’s plan offers sound solutions… -
map January 8, 2021 New Leadership Should Seize Tax Justice Mandate; Cash Payments Offer On-ramp
With the victory of Senators-elect Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgia, Democrats now control all three branches of government. New leaders should seize this moment to create a tax code that does much more to reduce inequality and to resource long-overdue investments in climate, health, education and other essentials. Most immediately, the historic election shifts power, making it easier to deliver on the promise to increase the recently enacted $600 cash payments to $2,000 per person.
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media mention December 28, 2020 Feet to the Fire: Taxes in the Time of COVID
ITEP Executive Director Amy Hanauer joined Jim Lardner’s Feet to the Fire podcast to speak about how we can seize this moment to promote higher taxes on corporations and the… -
news release December 21, 2020 COVID Relief Bill Will Help Families Now; Bigger, Bolder Package Needed in 2021
Following is a statement from Amy Hanauer, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, regarding the COVID-19 relief deal reached Sunday night.
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news release December 2, 2020 Lame-Duck Session No Time for Perfection, but a Bold Compromise on COVID Relief Is Needed
Time for COVID relief is dwindling. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a $908 billion COVID relief package on Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is floating a relief proposal and Sen. Mitch McConnell is circulating a wholly inadequate package. The best chance for legislation may be to include it in an omnibus appropriations bill, which Congress must pass this month. Following is a statement from Amy Hanauer, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, regarding congressional negotiations over another round of economic relief.
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blog November 20, 2020 State Tax Policy: Innovations to Embrace, Schemes to Avoid
Better tax policies will help communities emerge from the current staggering fiscal crisis with tax structures that reduce inequality at a time when rich people are thriving and public services are under siege. Preserving public spending will boost the economy and improve lives–and cutting these essentials will not only hurt people but also deepen the downturn, a lesson we learned in the Great Recession’s slow recovery. Other states should take note.
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media mention November 19, 2020 The Hill: Progressive tax reform should top Biden’s list of priorities
“President-elect Joe Biden won over 78 million votes, more than any presidential candidate has ever received, while unabashedly vowing to raise taxes on the wealthiest individuals and on corporations. Progressive tax reform should… -
news release September 30, 2020 People Need Relief. House Compromise COVID-19 Bill Addresses Urgent Needs
Media contact Following is a statement by Amy Hanauer, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, regarding the COVID-19 relief bill that the U.S. House is expected… -
blog September 29, 2020 It’s Time to Change the Tax Laws to Make Donald Trump and Corporate Giants Pay Up
It’s time for a new approach. Trump’s egregious tax avoidance further exposes a system that preserves an enormous and growing economic divide. Congress has gutted IRS funding so that we don’t have the resources to audit wealthy tax avoiders. And lobbyists continue to secure giveaways for corporate clients that do nothing for our communities.
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brief September 15, 2020 Tax Justice is…
Racial justice requires tax justice. Economic justice requires tax justice. Climate and health justice require, yes, tax justice.
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news release September 10, 2020 GOP ‘Skinny Bill’ Rightly Fails, Too Skimpy for This Crisis
“Nearly one in eight households don’t have enough to eat. Millions are at risk of eviction. State and local governments are facing revenue shortfalls of well more than $500 billion, leading to inevitable layoffs and cuts to critical services. Knowing that, the Republican Senate put forth a so-called skinny COVID relief package that failed to address these concerns. Too skimpy for this crisis, the bill failed as it should have.”
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ITEP Work in Action August 26, 2020 South Strong: Racial Equity and Taxes in Southern States
Southern states have a particularly egregious record on tax equity, rooted partly in racism. Lawmakers baked some of the most egregious and anti-democratic tax policies into southern state constitutions, such… -
media mention August 25, 2020 New York Times: Letter to the Editor
It’s not surprising that millionaire and billionaire donations to President Trump’s re-election campaign have tapered off. Yes, he promised — and provided — billions in tax cuts for the wealthiest.… -
blog August 25, 2020 Missed Opportunity: Flimsy Paper Touts Flawed Program
Republicans continue to tout Opportunity Zones as their main vehicle to assist poor people, most recently with a deeply flawed report from President Trump’s White House Council of Economic Advisors and a mention from Donald Trump Jr. in his opening night convention speech. The report purports to compare—as a way of cutting poverty—tax breaks for investors vs food, cash or health insurance coverage for struggling families.
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blog August 14, 2020 Action (lack thereof) on Economic Aid Reflects Longstanding Anti-Government Agenda
The biggest danger we face right now is that politicians will fail to get this health crisis under control and Americans will continue to die. The second biggest danger is that elected officials will fail to help families and communities, leading to foreclosures, evictions, and impoverishment—and also torpedoing the economy. With their inaction this week, the Senate seems determined to do both. Hold on everyone, we’re in for a sickening ride.