Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Connecticut

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Legislative Momentum in 2022: New and Expanded Child Tax Credits and EITCs

• By Neva Butkus

State legislatures across the country made investments in their future, centering children, families, and workers by enacting and expanding state Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs), Child Tax Credits (CTCs), and other refundable credits this session. In total, seven states either expanded or created CTCs this session. Connecticut, New Mexico, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont […]

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New ITEP Brief Shows How State Sales Tax Holidays Fail to Live Up to the Hype

• By Marco Guzman

Twenty states this year have decided to go so far as to forgo a combined $1 billion in vital tax revenue in favor of conveniently popular yet ultimately ineffective sales tax holidays. Whether it’s a state looking for a way to help families manage the rising cost of goods or to celebrate back-to-school shopping season, these policy options are poorly targeted and an inadequate use of state tax revenue that could be doing more to…

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Sales Tax Holidays: An Ineffective Alternative to Real Sales Tax Reform

• By Marco Guzman

Lawmakers in many states have enacted “sales tax holidays” (20 states will hold them in 2022) to temporarily suspend the tax on purchases of clothing, school supplies, and other items. These holidays may seem to lessen the regressive impacts of the sales tax, but their benefits are minimal while their downsides are significant—particularly as lawmakers have sought to apply the concept as a substitute for more meaningful, permanent reform or arbitrarily reward people with specific…

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State Rundown 7/13: Let’s Make a Deal

• By ITEP Staff

From the Bay State to the Golden State, lawmakers across the nation are making deals and negotiating budgets with major tax implications...

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State Rundown 6/22: Southern States Edition

• By ITEP Staff

With many state legislative sessions wrapped or wrapping up, we at ITEP want to take a moment to direct your attention south, and specifically, to the American South...

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State Rundown 5/25: Tax Discussions Heating Up as Summer Begins

• By ITEP Staff

While the temperature ticks up outside, the temperature in state legislatures around the country has fallen slightly. But with several states still dealing with ongoing tax and budget issues, this summer could be a hot one...

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State Rundown 5/11: Mid-Year Special Elections and Primary Season Kicks Off with Taxes in the Spotlight

• By ITEP Staff

As 2022 inches closer to its midpoint, important tax policy decisions are being put in the hands of voters, as special elections and the primary season begin...

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State Rundown 4/27: States Remain Active on the Tax Front

• By ITEP Staff

While tax discussions among federal lawmakers continue in fits and starts, major tax news continues to make waves across the nation...

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How Is Recreational Cannabis Taxed in Your State?

• By ITEP Staff

Eighteen states have legalized the sale of cannabis for general adult use and sales are already underway in 10 of those states. Every state allowing legal sales applies an excise tax to cannabis based on the product’s quantity, its price, or both. Quantity taxes are typically based on weight, though New York measures quantity by the amount of THC sold. ITEP research indicates that taxes based on quantity will be more sustainable over time because…

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State Rundown 4/13: Recent State Budgets Prove Not All Tax Cuts are the Same

• By ITEP Staff

Two prominent blue states made headlines this past week when they passed budget agreements that include relief for taxpayers, and fortunately, the budget plans don’t include costly tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy...

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State Rundown 4/6: Late-Session Surprises Pt. 2

• By ITEP Staff

Last week we highlighted how several states were pushing through regressive tax cuts as their legislative sessions are coming to a close. Well, this week many of those same states took further actions on those bills and it’s safe to say we’re even less impressed than before...

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State Rundown 3/30: Late-Session Surprises Leave Us Unimpressed

• By ITEP Staff

Several states have dropped a few late-session surprises, and from the looks of it, they’re not the good kind...

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State Rundown 3/23: Spring Brings More Tax Happenings

• By ITEP Staff

Spring is around the corner and like those pesky allergies that come along with it, equally pesky tax proposals continue to pop up in states across the U.S....

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State Rundown 3/9: One State Stands Out Amid the Avalanche of Tax Cuts

• By ITEP Staff

The avalanche of regressive tax-cut proposals coming out of state legislatures has not slowed over the course of the winter months, but one state has provided a shot of hope to advocates of tax equity...

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State Rundown 3/2: State Tax News When You Need It

• By ITEP Staff

ITEP is happy to announce the launch of our new State Tax Watch page, where you can find out about the most up-to-date tax proposals and permanent legislative changes happening across the country...

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State Rundown 2/10: Dems Also Set Sights on Tax Cuts

• By ITEP Staff

While record state revenue surpluses have led to big pushes in red states to make unnecessary permanent income and corporate tax cuts, Democrats are also getting in on the tax-cut mania...

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State Rundown 2/2: The First Tax Cut Domino Falls…

• By ITEP Staff

One-time payments have become a common theme around the country, as Idaho is one of roughly eleven states with plans to provide tax relief in a similar fashion...

Connecticut Voices for Children: Steps to a Fairer Tax System

• By ITEP Staff

Although Connecticut has the second highest level of per capita personal income in the US, making it exceptionally wealthy overall, many families consistently struggle because Connecticut also has the second highest level of income inequality and a substantial racial income gap, meaning a small, disproportionately white portion of the population primarily benefits from the state’s […]

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State Rundown 1/26: States Offering Preview of Tax Themes and Trends for 2022

• By ITEP Staff

Governors and legislators are beginning to settle on and advance tax bills that could drastically shape the future of their states and several trends and themes are beginning to emerge...

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State Rundown 1/13: The Tax Cuts Cometh, But There Is a Better Way

• By ITEP Staff

As expected, with the start of many new legislative sessions around the country, lawmakers have introduced a slew of tax cut plans following better-than-expected budget outlooks that have, so far, weathered the impact of the pandemic...

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State Rundown 1/5: New Year, Same Old Playbook

• By ITEP Staff

The new year often brings with it a reinvigorated commitment to new goals and a fresh perspective on how to accomplish them, but it seems like lawmakers in states around the country are giving up already...

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State Rundown 12/15: Making Our State Tax Naughty or Nice List & Checking it Twice

• By ITEP Staff

As the holiday season kicks into full gear, we’re putting the finishing touches on our State Tax Naughty or Nice list, and it looks like some late entrants are making a good case to be included...

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Boosting Incomes and Improving Tax Equity with State Earned Income Tax Credits in 2021

• By Aidan Davis

The EITC benefits low-income people of all races and ethnicities. But it is particularly impactful in historically excluded Black and Hispanic communities where discrimination in the labor market, inequitable educational systems, and countless other inequities have relegated a disproportionate share of people to low-wage jobs.

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State Income Taxes and Racial Equity: Narrowing Racial Income and Wealth Gaps with State Personal Income Taxes

• By Carl Davis, Jessica Schieder, Marco Guzman

10 state personal income tax reforms that offer the most promising routes toward narrowing racial income and wealth gaps through the tax code.

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New Census Data Highlight Need for Permanent Child Tax Credit Expansion

• By Neva Butkus

The status quo was a choice, but the Census data released today shows that different policy choices can create drastically different outcomes for children and families. It is time for our state and federal legislators to put people first when it comes to recovery.