Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Property Taxes

State Rundown 4/8: Budget and Tax Packages Take Shape as Sine Die Approaches in Many States

State legislative sessions are wrapping up, and final tax and budget packages are making their way to governors’ desks.

State Rundown 4/1: No Fooling Around Anymore in Washington, But Cruel Pranks in South Carolina

In Washington, Gov. Bob Ferguson and lawmakers decided to stop fooling around with one of the nation’s most upside-down tax codes and finally brought to life a new millionaires’ tax, the first new income tax created in a state since 1991.

State Rundown 3/26: Sobering Revenue Projections Keep States on Their Toes

This week, troubling revenue projections are making headlines, with many lawmakers scrambling to determine how the tax changes at the federal level, plus price hikes driven by national policy decisions, will impact their states.

State Rundown 3/18: New Mexico Enacts Most Significant Corporate Tax Reform of the Year

As states lawmakers continue to weigh their linkages to the federal tax code in light of the recent federal tax law, New Mexico provides a blueprint for limiting multinational corporate tax avoidance.

State Rundown 3/12: Washington Lawmakers Pass Millionaires’ Tax, Expand Working Families Tax Credit

Washington is on its way to making history after the legislature approved the “millionaires’ tax,” a 9.9 percent tax on income over $1 million. The bill, which is expected to raise more than $3 billion a year, making significant investments in public education and childcare, will also expand the Working Families Tax Credit – the […]

Testimony: ITEP’s Brakeyshia Samms on Why Evanston Should Adopt a Property Tax Circuit Breaker

March 9, 2026

Members of the City Council,  Thank you for the opportunity to testify today about property tax circuit breakers. My name is Brakeyshia Samms, and I am a senior analyst with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization that focuses on local, state, and federal tax policy issues with an emphasis on revenue sustainability and […]

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State Rundown 3/4: Budget Realities Set In

March 4, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 3/4: Budget Realities Set In

As many state legislative sessions near or cross the halfway point, lawmakers are facing tough choices.

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State Rundown 2/25: Sausage-Making Season Is Upon Us

February 25, 2026 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 2/25: Sausage-Making Season Is Upon Us

National Sausage Month isn’t until October, but now is the time of year when state lawmakers are really diving into their sausage-making processes, as separate legislative houses and oftentimes political parties send competing bills, budgets, and visions back and forth to grind out their differences.

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Property Tax Reforms Can Bring Racial Justice

February 19, 2026 • By Brakeyshia Samms

Property Tax Reforms Can Bring Racial Justice

Homes in Black neighborhoods are more likely to be over-assessed for tax purposes while being undervalued by private appraisers.

State Rundown 2/19: Necktie (NCTI) Offers a Way Out of a Knotty Situation

State lawmakers are grappling with a range of challenges as their fiscal outlooks deteriorate, federal tax enforcement wanes (after the Trump administration cut the IRS workforce by 25 percent), and a rewritten federal tax code sends states scrambling to decide what changes they might want to make in their own codes.

State Rundown 2/11: This Valentine’s Day, Conscious Decoupling Is Our Love Language

While some may be excited for a romantic Valentine’s Day this weekend, many state lawmakers are breaking up and decoupling from recent federal tax changes that are poised to leave states with revenue shortfalls – much like a bad date who forgets their wallet and asks you to pick up the tab.

What Did 2025 State Tax Changes Mean for Racial and Economic Equity?

The results are a mixed bag, with some states enacting promising policies that will improve tax equity and others going in the opposite direction.

State Rundown 2/5: Icy Roads Do Not Slow Tax Policy Debates

Despite wintry conditions across much of the country, that hasn’t stopped state lawmakers from debating major tax policy changes.

State Rundown 1/28: State Tax Cutting Plans Face Scrutiny

As state legislative sessions ramp up across the country, property taxes are one of many issues dominating tax policy conversations in statehouses.

State Rundown 1/22: Cautious Tone Noticeable in Most Statehouses

Most states are adopting a very cautious approach so far this year as legislators begin their sessions and governors make their annual addresses, thanks to ongoing economic uncertainty and federal retrenchment.

State Rundown 1/14: New Year Brings New Resolutions for Funding Key Priorities

State governors are beginning to lay out their top priorities as legislatures reconvene in statehouses around the country.

Show Me Where We’re Going: Missouri’s Fiscally Irresponsible Path Will Be Paid for by Everyday People

Missouri lawmakers have been pushing regressive and shortsighted tax policies that undermine everyday workers and sabotage the Show-Me State’s ability to raise revenue.

State Rundown 1/7: New Year, New Opportunities for Progressive Revenue

As we kick off a new year, several states are facing revenue shortfalls. Some lawmakers are approaching the challenge with sustainable and equitable solutions.

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2025: The Year in Tax Policy

December 23, 2025 • By ITEP Staff

2025: The Year in Tax Policy

From Congressional discussions over the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" to debates on property taxes, ITEP kept busy this year analyzing tax proposals and showing Americans across the country how tax decisions affect them.

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‘Tax the Rich,’ Says … Mitt Romney?

December 22, 2025 • By Matthew Gardner

‘Tax the Rich,’ Says … Mitt Romney?

His 900-word New York Times op-ed identifies some sensible federal tax reform ideas that would create a fairer, more sustainable tax system.

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Texas Property Tax Plan Mimics California’s Damaging Prop 13

December 19, 2025 • By Neva Butkus, Rita Jefferson

Texas Property Tax Plan Mimics California’s Damaging Prop 13

This proposal would disrupt the state’s housing market and jeopardize local revenues while doing very little to help workers and families struggling to pay their property tax bills – just as Prop 13 did in California.

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Local Vacancy Taxes: A Tool but Not a Panacea

November 17, 2025 • By Rita Jefferson

Local Vacancy Taxes: A Tool but Not a Panacea

Vacancy taxes will not single-handedly solve problems in cities, but they are worth considering to address housing shortages, land use, and building thriving communities.

In 2025, Voters Said Yes to Public Resources and Community Investments

Important tax measures were on the ballot this week, and the outcomes are clear: many voters support new state and local spending to support critical services in their communities.

Making the Wealthy Pay their Fair Share is the Way to Preserve Vacation Towns

Rhode Island lawmakers created a new surcharge on second homes worth more than $1 million as part of the budget enacted this spring.

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State Tax Action in 2025: Amid Uncertainty, Tax Cuts and New Revenue

July 28, 2025 • By Aidan Davis, Neva Butkus, Marco Guzman

State Tax Action in 2025: Amid Uncertainty, Tax Cuts and New Revenue

Federal policy choices on tariffs, taxes, and spending cuts will be deeply felt by all states, which will have less money available to fund key priorities. This year some states raised revenue to ensure that their coffers were well-funded, some proceeded with warranted caution, and many others passed large regressive tax cuts that pile on to the massive tax cuts the wealthiest just received under the federal megabill.