Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Arizona

Racial Justice Requires Tax Justice: Our Analysis Helps Deliver Both

ITEP’s analytical approach, our comprehensive microsimulation model, and our unique state-level capacities enable us to do pioneering analyses that enrich the debate on racial justice in tax policy that no other entity can do.

Testimony of ITEP’s Marco Guzman Before the Nevada Assembly Committee on Revenue

April 10, 2023

For a video of Marco’s testimony, click here. Thank you, Assemblywoman Anderson, and thank you chairman and members of the Assembly for the opportunity to speak on the topic of Nevada’s state tax system. My name is Marco Guzman, and I am a Senior State Policy Analyst with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy […]

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State Rundown 4/6: More SALT, Please

April 6, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 4/6: More SALT, Please

This week, a bill out of Arkansas that would cut the top personal income tax rate and the corporate income tax rate found its way to the governor’s desk...

State Rundown 3/30: A Win for Tax Equity in The Evergreen State

Over the past week Washington state saw a major victory for tax fairness after the state Supreme Court held the state’s capital gains tax—passed in 2021—constitutional...

Contact: Jon Whiten – [email protected]  Lawmakers in several states are discussing enacting or expanding school voucher tax credits, which reimburse individuals and businesses for “donations” they make to organizations that give out vouchers for free or reduced tuition at private K-12 schools, as a new brief released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic […]

Tax Avoidance Continues to Fuel School Privatization Efforts

Wealthy families are overwhelmingly the ones using school voucher tax credits to opt out of paying for public education and other public services and to redirect their tax dollars to private and religious institutions instead. Most of these credits are being claimed by families with incomes over $200,000.

State Rundown 3/1: The Long March to the Finish Line

This week, several big tax proposals took strides on the march toward becoming law...

State Rundown 2/23: Tax Dominos Take Shape, Begin to Fall as Session Heats Up

The 2023 legislative session is in full swing, and dominos continue to be set up as others fall...

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The Five Best Tax Ideas Coming from Governors This Year

February 22, 2023 • By Carl Davis

The Five Best Tax Ideas Coming from Governors This Year

The word “tax” appears 97 times and counting in one recent summary of governors’ addresses to state legislators so far this year. The policy visions that governors are bringing, however, vary enormously. While there's good reason to worry about tax cuts for wealthy families and the flattening or elimination of income taxes, there are at least five great tax ideas coming directly out of governors’ offices this year.

State Rundown 2/1: February Brings New (and Some Old) Tax Policy Conversations

Tax bills across the U.S. are winding their way through state legislatures and governors continue to set the tone for this year’s legislative sessions...

Momentum Behind State Tax Credits for Workers and Families Continues in 2023

Refundable tax credits are an important tool for improving family economic security and advancing racial equity, and there is incredible momentum heading into 2023 to boost two key state credits: the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit.

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The Pitfalls of Flat Income Taxes

January 17, 2023 • By Carl Davis, Eli Byerly-Duke

The Pitfalls of Flat Income Taxes

Flat taxes have some surface appeal but come with significant disadvantages. Critically, a flat tax guarantees that wealthy families’ total state and local tax bill will be a lower share of their income than that paid by families of more modest means.

State Rundown 1/11: Governors Ready to Talk Tax in 2023 State Addresses

Governors have begun their annual trek to the podium in statehouses across the U.S. to lay out their visions for 2023, and so far, taxes look like they will play a major role in debates throughout state legislative sessions...

State Child Tax Credits and Child Poverty: A 50-State Analysis

Regardless of future Child Tax Credit developments at the federal level, state policies can supplement the federal credit to deliver additional benefits to children and families. State credits can be specifically tailored to meet the needs of local populations while also producing long-term benefits for society as a whole

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State Rundown 11/10: Midterm Madness

November 10, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 11/10: Midterm Madness

As states continue to tally the remaining votes and the news stories roll out at a breakneck pace, the unofficial results of the 2022 midterm elections have brought with it significant changes across the state tax policy landscape...

Election Day in the States: Voters Deliver Important Victories for Tax Justice

Voters in Massachusetts and Colorado raised taxes on their wealthiest residents to fund schools, public transportation and school lunches for kids while making their tax codes more equitable. And voters in West Virginia defeated a proposal to deeply cut taxes, mostly for businesses, and drain the coffers of county and local governments.

Massachusetts Voters Score Win for Tax Fairness with ‘Fair Share Amendment’

In a significant victory for tax fairness, Massachusetts voters approved Question 1—commonly known as the Fair Share Amendment—Tuesday night with 52 percent of the vote. The new constitutional amendment creates a 4 percent surcharge on income over $1 million, and the revenue will specifically fund education and transportation projects in the Bay State.

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State Rundown 11/2: Midterms on the Mind

November 2, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 11/2: Midterms on the Mind

Next Tuesday, voters will head to the polls to not only elect local and national leaders, but also let their voices be heard on a range of tax policy issues that could improve or worsen their state tax codes...

Route Fifty: In One State, a Fight Over How Tax Hikes are Passed at the Ballot Box

November 1, 2022

In Arizona, Republican legislators are asking residents to make it tougher for voters to pass ballot measures that would raise taxes. Supporters say the proposal, which will be decided in next week’s election, is intended to rein in ballot initiatives that threaten the state’s economy and that are often backed by groups from outside of […]

Measures on the November Ballot Could Improve or Worsen State Tax Codes

In a couple of weeks, voters in a handful of states will weigh in on several tax-related ballot measures that could make state tax codes more equitable and raise money for public services, or take states in the opposite direction, making tax systems less fair and draining state coffers of dollars needed to maintain critical […]

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State Rundown 10/5: Forecasting Ain’t Easy

October 5, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 10/5: Forecasting Ain’t Easy

Although the weather is beginning to cool down in parts of the country, the same cannot be said for many state economies, which are still running hot. That, however, doesn’t mean that the good times are guaranteed to last...

State Rundown 6/29: Sun’s Out, Session’s (Still) In

Although the sun is shining and Independence Day is right around the corner, many state lawmakers are still indoors hammering out the details of future budgets or still hard at work passing laws...

Bloomberg Tax: Flat Income Tax Revival Draws Sharply Mixed Reviews (Podcast)

June 14, 2022

With cash cushions plump with federal pandemic relief dollars and a surge in tax revenues, state legislatures across the country have cut taxes aggressively this year. But several states went further, converting their tiered income tax structures to flat-rate systems. Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, and Mississippi have committed to the flat tax in recent weeks, and […]

State Rundown 6/8: Tax Policy Features Prominently During Budget and Primary Season

As voters head to the polls to weigh in on their state’s primary elections and legislators convene to hash out budget deals, tax policy remains atop the agenda...

Arizona Center for Economic Progress: $2 Billion Tax Cuts for the Rich are Irresponsible

May 13, 2022

Last year, the legislature passed huge tax cuts whose benefits will only be seen by the richest Arizonans. Once these new tax cuts go into effect, they will reduce state revenues by an estimated $2 billion a year. The state approved a flat tax that will not result in a meaningful tax cut for most […]