District of Columbia

State lawmakers are grappling with a range of challenges as their fiscal outlooks deteriorate, federal tax enforcement wanes (after the Trump administration cut the IRS workforce by 25 percent), and a rewritten federal tax code sends states scrambling to decide what changes they might want to make in their own codes.

While some may be excited for a romantic Valentine’s Day this weekend, many state lawmakers are breaking up and decoupling from recent federal tax changes that are poised to leave states with revenue shortfalls – much like a bad date who forgets their wallet and asks you to pick up the tab.

The results are a mixed bag, with some states enacting promising policies that will improve tax equity and others going in the opposite direction.

Federal lawmakers passed a bill along party lines that would force the District of Columbia to override the decision of local elected officials and implement all of the costly and inequitable federal tax cuts passed under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA).

Despite wintry conditions across much of the country, that hasn’t stopped state lawmakers from debating major tax policy changes.

ITEP tracks tax discussions in legislatures across the country and uses our unique data capacity to analyze the revenue, distributional, and racial and ethnic impacts of many of these proposals. State Tax Watch offers the latest news and movement from each state.

They should take steps to protect and boost their own revenues. And they should take a second look at their own tax cuts.

In the same way states are building upon federal tax credits, localities should consider building on state tax credits.

Many states already recognize the potential of these credits to boost low- and moderate-income households. Other states should follow suit.

It’s wildly inappropriate for a U.S. Treasury Secretary to lean on states to adopt or not adopt specific federal provisions in their own state tax codes.

State deductions for tips and overtime are not only ineffective at supporting working-class people, it will come at a substantial cost to state budgets.

An unknown number of workers who previously were assumed to be ineligible for the tax break may nonetheless claim it.

The 2025 federal tax law risks making 529 plans more costly for states by increasing tax avoidance and allowing wealthy families to use these funds for private and religious K-12 schools.

Vacancy taxes will not single-handedly solve problems in cities, but they are worth considering to address housing shortages, land use, and building thriving communities.

A costly tax break for wealthy venture capitalists is drawing some critical attention from state policymakers.

Despite being an off-year election, voters made a call for shared public investments at the polls.

Contact: Jon Whiten ([email protected]) Child Tax Credits have been the focus of increased lawmaker attention over the past few years, especially following the dramatic success of the 2021 federal CTC expansion in reducing child poverty and the subsequent resurgence of pre-pandemic child poverty levels. While 15 states now supplement the federal credit with their own […]

States should decouple from the federal Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) exemption.

A pair of new briefs from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) illustrate the growing power of state Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs) and Child Tax Credits (CTCs). In all, we find: Nearly two-thirds of states (31 plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) have an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). These […]

Nearly two-thirds of states now have an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Momentum continues to build on these credits that boost low-paid workers’ incomes and offset some of the taxes they pay, helping lower-income families achieve greater economic security.

Child Tax Credits (CTCs) are effective tools to bolster the economic security of low- and middle-income families and position the next generation for success.

As states prepare for the revenue loss and disruption resulting from the federal tax bill, tax policy is being considered in legislatures across the country.