California
States and Localities are Making Progress on Curbing Unjust Fees and Fines
• By Andrew Boardman
Too many state and local governments tap legal-system collections, rather than adequate tax systems, to fund shared essentials like public safety and education. But a growing number of states and localities are choosing a better approach. Momentum for change has continued to build in 2023, with no fewer than seven states enacting substantial improvements.
Testimony: Tax Policy to Strengthen Social Security
• By Amy Hanauer
We can make modest reforms to better tax those who are taking a larger share of our wealth and income in order to reinforce a major pillar of our promise to Americans.
State Rundown 6/28: Movement on Refundable Credits Remains Hot Topic in 2023
• By ITEP Staff
The trend of state lawmakers taking big steps on important tax credits like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit is coming out in full force this week...
The Sacramento Bee: Fact Check: Does California’s Middle Class Pay Less in Taxes Than in Other States?
June 21, 2023
“The American people don’t know this. We have the highest tax rate for the 1%, but middle-class families actually paid less than the majority of states in America in California,” Gov. Gavin Newsom told Fox News host Sean Hannity last week. The governor was half-right. Read more.
Los Angeles Times: As IRS Funding Shrinks, California’s Wealthiest Can Breathe a Bit Easier
June 9, 2023
California millionaires and billionaires who were set to face the full auditing firepower of a revamped Internal Revenue Service can breathe a bit easier, thanks to congressional Republicans. Read more.
State Rundown 6/7: The Budget Race Continues
• By ITEP Staff
Across the country, the marathon budget season has held pace, with a steady stream of bills continuing to cross the finish line...
State Rundown 6/1: State Revenue Highs and Lows
• By ITEP Staff
Short-sighted tax cuts continue to make their way to Governors’ desks this week. In Florida, Gov. DeSantis signed a $1.3 billion tax cut package with $550 million of the tax cuts from sales tax holidays, alone. The Nebraska legislature also sent $6.4 billion in tax cuts to Gov. Pillen’s desk which includes an enormous personal income tax cut that will reduce taxes on the top 1 percent by tens of thousands of dollars.
Washington Post: How California’s Wild Weather Brought the Debt-Ceiling ‘X Date’ Closer
May 22, 2023
As President Biden and lawmakers scramble to strike a debt ceiling deal before the government runs out of money, each day counts — to the tune of about $17 billion. That’s how much the U.S. Treasury spends daily, on average, to keep the government functioning. Read more.
Extending Temporary Provisions of the 2017 Trump Tax Law: National and State-by-State Estimates
• By Joe Hughes, Matthew Gardner, Steve Wamhoff
The push by Congressional Republicans to make the provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent would cost nearly $300 billion in the first year and deliver the bulk of the tax benefits to the wealthiest Americans.
State Rundown 5/3: Policy Debates Unfold from Capitol to Capital
• By ITEP Staff
While the conversations on the debt ceiling heat up in the nation's capital, debates on state tax policy also continue to unfold in capitol buildings across the nation...
Testimony of ITEP’s Amy Hanauer Before the D.C. Tax Revision Commission
• By Amy Hanauer
The written testimony of ITEP Executive Director Amy Hanauer is below the embedded video of the hearing. Dear D.C. Tax Revision Commission, Thank you for inviting me to testify last week on the research of my colleagues at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. We’re grateful to have our perspective included and as a […]
State Rundown 3/30: A Win for Tax Equity in The Evergreen State
• By ITEP Staff
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...
Better Local Tax Policy Can Help Communities Thrive
• By Kamolika Das
From dedicating new taxes to fund climate action and public health to vacancy and “mansion” taxes, many local leaders are already exploring ways to make their tax systems more progressive and sustainable. ITEP is committed to helping local leaders and advocates build on this work by advancing knowledge about local tax solutions.
ITEP Launches Local Tax Team
• By ITEP Staff
Contact: Jon Whiten (jon@itep.org) For decades, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) has played a role in shaping equitable and sustainable tax systems at the federal and state level. From the beginning, we have collaborated with advocates, policymakers, and others to advance policies that can foster expansive, inclusionary, and racially equitable tax systems. […]
State Rundown 3/9: The Whirlwind 2023 Legislative Session Continues
• By ITEP Staff
State 2023 legislative sessions are proving to be eventful ones. With many states eager to make use of their budget surpluses, major tax changes are still being proposed and others signed into law. Michigan residents will soon see an increase to their state Earned Income Tax Credit (from 6 percent to 30 percent) after the […]
The Five Best Tax Ideas Coming from Governors This Year
• By Carl Davis
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.
Several States Make New Moves to Tax Wealth
• By Jon Whiten
Lawmakers in seven states will introduce legislation this week to tax wealth in a new coordinated effort to combat ever-increasing income and wealth inequality. The bills couldn’t come at a better time, as those at the very top continue to pull apart from the rest of us and far too many states contemplate piling on to this runaway inequality with seemingly endless tax cuts for those at the top.
The Pitfalls of Flat Income Taxes
• By Carl Davis, Eli Byerly-Duke
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
• By ITEP Staff
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...
The European Union Moves Forward on Global Minimum Tax. Time for the U.S. to Follow.
• By Joe Hughes
The European Union has reached unanimous agreement to implement a global minimum tax beginning in 2024. With the EU and UK fully on board, it's time for Congress to follow suit and implement the plan negotiated by the Biden administration. Doing so would improve the corporate tax system here and around the world while making the United States economy stronger and more competitive.
State Rundown 11/30: ‘Lame Duck’ December Could Have Major Tax Implications
• By ITEP Staff
As federal lawmakers begin their lame duck deliberations, the revival of the expanded child tax credit remains a strong possibility...
State Child Tax Credits and Child Poverty: A 50-State Analysis
• By Aidan Davis
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
State Rundown 11/10: Midterm Madness
• By ITEP Staff
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
• By Jon Whiten
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.
State Rundown 11/2: Midterms on the Mind
• By ITEP Staff
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...
Institute on Taxation
and Economic Policy
ITEP is a non-profit, non-partisan tax policy organization. We conduct rigorous analyses of tax and economic proposals and provide data-driven recommendations to shape equitable and sustainable tax systems.
Subscribe to ITEP Emails
Tax research and policy news in your inbox.
Promote Fair Tax Policy
Your gift to ITEP promotes tax justice. With your help, we do research that supports taxing millionaires and billionaires, taxing big corporations and raising revenue for the things our people, our communities and our planet need.
Together, we can create a country with more economic justice, more racial justice, more climate justice… and more tax justice.