Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Recent Work

2059 items
Anti-Tax Revolts Backfire: What We’ve Learned from 50 Years of Property Tax Limits

Across-the-board property tax cuts create less fair local tax systems in the long run. State legislators and local governments should prioritize the residents who can least afford their property taxes, not the residents and businesses who can.

How Much Would Every Family in Every State Get if the Megabill’s Tax Cuts Given to the Rich Had Instead Been Evenly Divided?

If instead of giving $117 billion to the richest 1 percent, that money had been evenly divided among all Americans, we'd each get $343 - or nearly $1,400 for a family of four.

GOP Megabill Breaks America’s Promise to Future Generations

This country’s biggest historical challenge has been delivering this progress to all Americans, but Republicans have cut it back for everyone, retreating from many 20th century achievements in ways that will slam doors, rather than opening them, for the next generation.

10 Crazy Comparisons Showing How Much Trump and Congress Just Cut Taxes for the Rich

$117 billion is a big number, so we thought it could use a little context.

There Were Far Cheaper and Fairer Options Than the Trump Megabill

Congress and the president could have spent less than half that much money on a tax bill that does more for working-class and middle-class households.

State Rundown 7/8: State Tax Cuts Continue Despite Federal Megabill Passing

The last states are wrapping up legislative sessions, and some are crossing the finish line with major income tax cuts.

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Analysis of Tax Provisions in the Trump Megabill as Signed into Law: National and State Level Estimates

July 7, 2025 • By Steve Wamhoff, Carl Davis, Joe Hughes, Jessica Vela

Analysis of Tax Provisions in the Trump Megabill as Signed into Law: National and State Level Estimates

President Trump has signed into law the tax and spending “megabill” that largely favors the richest taxpayers and provides working-class Americans with relatively small tax cuts that will in many cases be more than offset by Trump's tariffs.

Top 1% to Receive $1 Trillion Tax Cut from Trump Megabill Over the Next Decade

The Trump megabill will give the top 1 percent tax cuts totaling $1.02 trillion over the next decade. For comparison, the bill’s cuts to the Medicaid health care program will total $930 billion over the same period.

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The SALT Caucus, Fortunately, Comes Up Short

July 2, 2025 • By Michael Ettlinger

The SALT Caucus, Fortunately, Comes Up Short

The endlessly debated cap on deductions for state and local taxes (SALT) has emerged in the GOP megabill largely unscathed—despite the efforts of Republican lawmakers from “blue” states. Those lawmakers are correct that the cap reduces the bill’s tax cuts for their wealthy constituents more than for those in other states. The megabill, however, is so loaded up with other provisions that result in a dramatic tax cut for the richest 1 percent in every state.

Megabill Takes Cap Off Unprecedented Private School Voucher Tax Credit, Potentially Raising Cost by Tens of Billions Relative to Earlier Version

It is clear that this tax credit has the potential to come with an enormous cost if private school groups are successful in convincing their supporters to participate. In these times of very high debt and deficits, this is reason for all of us to be uneasy.

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Local Tax Trends in 2025

July 1, 2025 • By Rita Jefferson

Local Tax Trends in 2025

As federal aid ends and economic uncertainty grows, local governments face tough budget choices. Now is the time for localities to protect vulnerable residents and build stronger, more equitable fiscal foundations.

Trump Megabill Will Give $117 Billion in Tax Cuts to the Top 1% in 2026. How Much In Your State?

The predominant feature of the tax and spending bill working its way through Congress is a massive tax cut for the richest 1 percent — a $114 billion benefit to the wealthiest people in the country in 2026 alone.

How Much Do the Top 1% in Each State Get from the Trump Megabill?

The Senate tax bill under debate right now would bring very large tax cuts to very high-income people. In total, the richest 1 percent would receive $114 billion in tax cuts next year alone. That would amount to nearly $61,000 for each of these affluent households.

With Fiscal Uncertainty Looming, Louisiana Senate Did the Right Thing on Tax Bills

If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. This is exactly what Louisiana Senators did when they rejected two tax-cut bills that would have created a billion-dollar shortfall in the coming fiscal years.

State Rundown 6/25: The Numbers Don’t Lie, State Budget Edition

Many states are reaching their end-of-June budget deadlines, and major tax policy changes look to have big implications as states are forced, per federal policy, to do more with less.