Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Alaska

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Gas Tax Hits Rock Bottom in Ten States

May 8, 2014 • By Carl Davis

In most states, the gasoline tax is set at a fixed number of cents per gallon of gas. South Carolina drivers, for example, have been paying 16 cents per gallon in state tax for more than a quarter century.1 But while this type of fixed-rate gas tax may appear to be flat over time, its lack of change in the face of inflation means that its "real" value, or purchasing power, is steadily declining. In ten states, this decline has brought the state's inflation-adjusted gas tax rate to its lowest level in the state's history.

Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier: Gas tax

April 2, 2014

(Original Post) A new fact sheet from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy indicates Iowa is one of seven states where the gas tax rates are “stuck in neutral.” According to the institute’s analysis, 21 states have gone a decade or more without increasing their gas tax rates and 16 states have gone two […]

Globe Gazette: Iowa’s Among Gas Tax Rates Stuck in Neutral

April 2, 2014

(Original Post) A new fact sheet from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy indicates Iowa is one of seven states where the gas tax rates are “stuck in neutral.” According to the institute’s analysis, 21 states have gone a decade or more without increasing their gas tax rates and 16 states have gone two […]

The Washington Post: New report slams Kansas tax cuts

March 28, 2014

(Original Post)  BY NIRAJ CHOKSHI March 27 at 3:22 pm In 2012, Kansas enacted one of the largest tax cuts of any state ever, and the short-term results aren’t promising, a new report finds. “Kansas is a cautionary tale, not a model,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities researchers Michael Leachman and Chris Mai write […]

Stateline: Hunting Lost Revenue in Offshore Tax Havens

March 10, 2014

(Original Post) By Elaine S. Povich, Staff Writer Some states are going after multinational corporations which avoid state taxes by stashing some of their earnings in offshore tax havens, an effort aimed at recouping some of the more than $20 billion states lose to such gimmicks each year. Shifting income to subsidiaries in places like […]

Mint Press News: Expiring Tax Deductions Prompt Talk Of Reform For State, Federal Tax System

December 30, 2013

(Original Post) Without congressional action to extend state and federal tax deductions, 11 million taxpayers will lose $17 billion. By Jo Erickson | December 26, 2013 As the year ends nine federal tax provisions will expire, causing some to pay more in state and local sales taxes. Most critics agree that state and federal taxes […]

The Cap Times: What do states with no income tax do for revenue?

December 30, 2013

(Original Post) December 27, 2013 10:25 am • STEVEN ELBOW | The Capital Times | [email protected] Gov. Scott Walker raised a lot of eyebrows earlier this month when he broached the idea of scrapping the state income tax, joining seven other states. So what do Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming do […]

Shreveport Times: Taxes – Where is Louisiana?

November 18, 2013

Nov. 15, 2013 Written by Tommy Williams Special to The Times Right now, inflation is not meeting expectations — and that may be a good thing. Critics of the prevailing monetary policy and low interest rates have predicted inflation will rise. Martin Feldstein, president of the National Bureau for Economic Research, explained in 2012 that […]

USA Today: The most tax-friendly states for business

October 15, 2013

(Original Post) Charley Blaine, 24/7 Wall St. 11 a.m. EDT October 12, 2013 Taxes are necessary for a functioning government, but according to one group, many states are crippling regional business growth with tax structures that are too expensive or complex. The Tax Foundation’s 2014 State Business Tax Climate Index graded all 50 states based […]

Governing: Is Earmarking the Best Way to Fund Projects?

September 30, 2013

(Original Post) It’s not black and white, but understanding the pros and cons increases your chances of coming to the right answer for a particular project. BY: KATHERINE BARRETT & RICHARD GREENE | OCTOBER 2013 There are many issues in government management where things aren’t black and white, where gray is the color of the […]

Washington Post: The state that taxes the poor the most is… a blue one

September 23, 2013

(Original Post) By Niraj Chokshi, Published: September 21 at 10:00 am The state that easily handed President Obama a victory last November while passing voter-approved referendums legalizing same-sex marriage and marijuana consumption also happens to have the nation’s highest tax burden on the poor. Poor families in Washington state pay 16.9 percent of their total […]

PBS: How Low Can They Go? Arthur Laffer Defends Slashing State Income Taxes

August 1, 2013

In this 2012 Making Sen$e report, former Reagan White House economic adviser Arthur Laffer drew his famous curve on a napkin -- just the way he did for the Ford administration -- and explained how it works.

US News & World Report: What’s the Matter with Kansas’ Tax Policy?

June 18, 2013

(Original Post) By Pat GarofaloJune 13, 2013 Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has presided over one of the most rightward lurches of any state in the nation, on issues such as health care, abortion and education. But the crown jewel of his administration has been a package of cuts to Kansas’ income tax – the […]

US News & World Report: What’s the Matter with Kansas’ Tax Policy?

June 18, 2013

(Original Post) By Pat GarofaloJune 13, 2013 Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has presided over one of the most rightward lurches of any state in the nation, on issues such as health care, abortion and education. But the crown jewel of his administration has been a package of cuts to Kansas’ income tax – the […]

Chattanooga Times Free Press: Some lawmakers say they may kill Georgia’s income tax next year, but there would be a cost

May 6, 2013

(Original Post) published Sunday, May 5th, 2013 by Tim Omarzu A group of Republican lawmakers in Atlanta wants to do away with Georgia’s 6 percent income tax and replace it — mainly by increasing taxes on sales and services. State Rep. Tom Kirby, R-Loganville, set the stage for what could be a sweeping change to […]

MSN News: Two-thirds of Americans oppose gas tax hikes

April 24, 2013

(Original Post) According to Gallup, Americans may object to increasing gas prices while the economy is still unstable. By Douglas Newcomb As state legislatures across the U.S. debate whether to raise gas taxes to repair crumbling roads, a new Gallup poll finds that two-thirds of Americans would vote against gas tax hikes in their home […]

The Motley Fool: The 7 States With the Lowest Gasoline Taxes

April 22, 2013

(Original Post) The price of gasoline is constantly on people’s minds. The prices you see on those gas-station signs everywhere you drive are tough enough to swallow, but what you may not know is the extent to which gas taxes contribute to those prices. The federal tax is $0.184 per gallon, and states add their […]

The Fiscal Times: Bobby Jindal’s Failure Ruins Chances of Tax Reform

April 12, 2013

(Original Post) By BRUCE BARTLETT, The Fiscal TimesApril 12, 2013 Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has been a rising star in the Republican Party for some years. But this year he made a serious misstep on reforming the state’s tax system that has national implications, reducing the chances of tax reform in Washington. To begin with, […]

The Times-Picayune: Behind Jindal’s tax plan, an old debate that still rages

April 8, 2013

(Original Post) By Andrew Vanacore, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune In pushing for an end to income taxes in Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal is calling upon an economic theory about taxes and economic growth that is almost four decades old. So you might assume the case for or against “supply-side” or “trickle-down” economics would be about […]

MSNBC: Jindal’s radical tax plan not yet dead

April 4, 2013

(Original Post) By Steve Benen – Wed Apr 3, 2013 11:45 AM EDT It’s been about three months since Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) unveiled his plan to eliminate all income taxes and corporate taxes in the state, replacing the lost revenue through a combination of spending cuts, higher sales taxes, and new business taxes. […]

USA Today: Wyo. named most tax-friendly state; N.Y. worst

April 1, 2013

(Original Post) 24/7 Wall Street6a.m. EDT March 30, 2013 According to Census data released this week, state and local tax revenue rose in the U.S, for the 13th quarter in a row. With April 15 less than three weeks away, America’s business owners will complete their personal taxes along with the rest of the country. […]

The Washington Post: Paul Ryan wants to cut income taxes. Bobby Jindal wants to kill them dead.

March 20, 2013

(Original Post) Posted by Dylan Matthews on March 20, 2013 at 11:45 am Most conservative policymakers at the federal level just want to sharply reduce the income tax, not eliminate it entirely. But more and more Republican-controlled states are deciding to go big or go home. So far, Govs. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), Dave Heineman (R-NE), […]

The Daily Kos: Republican tax shifters wrong about states with no income taxes performing better

March 1, 2013

(Original Post) Meteor Blades for Daily Kos Economics Across the South and Midwest—in Georgia, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Louisiana, Indiana, Kansas and elsewhere—Republican-dominated states seek to eliminate income taxes and replace part of them with regressive sales taxes. Thus would be the tax burden be shifted to people in the lower earning tiers of the economy […]

Think Progress: Contrary To GOP Rhetoric, Low-Tax States Have Worse Economic Growth

March 1, 2013

(Original Post) By Pat Garofalo on Feb 28, 2013 at 3:45 pm Republicans love to claim that low-tax states such as Texas enjoy a disproportionate amount of economic success, while higher-tax states like California are economic basket cases. Republican governors in several states are using that rationale to propose gutting their state income taxes (and, […]

Politifact: Dick Saslaw says all states, except Virginia, “keep raising their gas tax”

February 28, 2013

(Original Post) Sen. Minority Leader Richard Saslaw has spearheaded the opposition this winter to Gov. Bob McDonnell’s plan to raise transportation revenues by abolishing the state gas tax and replacing it with a sales tax increase. Saslaw, D-Fairfax, says the only way to raise ample money for roads is to increase both the sales and […]