Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

District of Columbia

States Should Enact, Expand Mansion Taxes to Advance Fairness and Shared Prosperity

The report was produced in partnership with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and co-authored by CBPP’s Deputy Director of State Policy Research Samantha Waxman.[1] Click here to use our State Mansion Tax Estimator A historically large share of the nation’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, a reality glaring in […]

Property Tax Circuit Breakers Can Help States Create More Equitable Tax Codes

Well-designed property tax circuit breaker programs allow states to reduce the impact that property taxes have on the upside-down tilt of their tax codes.

State Rundown 6/13: Decisions are falling into place, but some states will come back for more

State budgets are falling into place as lawmakers near the end of their legislative sessions...

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State Rundown 5/30: Sessions Are In for Summer

May 30, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 5/30: Sessions Are In for Summer

Legislative sessions across the country are still very much in for summer, which means more pencils, more budgets, and more tax plans...

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Better Tax Codes Help Boost Teacher Pay

May 16, 2024 • By Alex Welch

Better Tax Codes Help Boost Teacher Pay

There are a variety of factors that affect teacher pay. But one often overlooked factor is progressive tax policies that allow states to raise and provide the funding educators and their students deserve.

Fairness Matters: A Chart Book on Who Pays State and Local Taxes

State and local tax codes can do a lot to reduce inequality. But they add to the nation’s growing income inequality problem when they capture a greater share of income from low- or moderate-income taxpayers. These regressive tax codes also result in higher tax rates on communities of color, further worsening racial income and wealth divides.

These Three Local EITCs Are Boosting Family Incomes at Tax Time

This tax season more than 800,000 households in New York City, Maryland's Montgomery County, and San Francisco are set to receive a boost through local refundable EITCs. These credits put dollars directly into the pockets of low-income households, equipping families with resources to better make ends meet and invest in their futures. In turn, they can help build stronger, fairer, and more resilient communities.

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Who Pays Taxes in America in 2024

April 9, 2024 • By Steve Wamhoff

Who Pays Taxes in America in 2024

America's tax system is just barely progressive, and not nearly as progressive as many suggest or as progressive as it could be. There is plenty of room for lawmakers to improve the progressivity of the tax code to combat economic, wealth, and racial inequality.

State Rundown 4/3: Some States Buck the Trend on Foolish Tax Policy

This week tax cuts were debated across the upper Midwest...

Local Mansion Taxes: Building Stronger Communities with Progressive Taxes on High-Value Real Estate

More than one dozen cities and counties levy progressive taxes on high-price real estate transactions — sometimes called mansion taxes — and over a dozen more are considering such policies. By asking buyers and sellers with greater financial means to contribute more to the common good, these policies are equipping communities with resources to make progress on critical challenges of local and national concern.

Local Policy Analyst

March 7, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Local Policy Analyst

ITEP seeks a Local Policy Analyst or Senior Policy Analyst to advance equitable and adequate tax policy in cities, towns, and counties across the country.

State Rundown 1/26: Wealth Taxes Drawing Interest Early in Legislative Sessions

Bills are moving and state legislative sessions are picking up across the country, giving elected officials the opportunity to consider two distinct paths when it comes to tax policy...

State Tax Watch 2024

January 23, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

State Tax Watch 2024

Updated July 15, 2024 In 2024, state lawmakers have a choice: advance tax policy that improves equity and helps communities thrive, or push tax policies that disproportionately benefit the wealthy, drain funding for critical public services, and make it harder for low-income and working families to get ahead. Despite worsening state fiscal conditions, we expect […]

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Worthwhile Ideas for a Stronger and Fairer D.C. Tax Code

January 17, 2024 • By Andrew Boardman, Kamolika Das, Marco Guzman

Worthwhile Ideas for a Stronger and Fairer D.C. Tax Code

The nation’s capital has a once-in-a-decade opportunity to advance a stronger and fairer local tax code. New draft recommendations from a key advisory panel will help leaders make the most of the moment.

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In Most States, the Tax Code Makes Inequality Worse

January 9, 2024 • By Carl Davis

In Most States, the Tax Code Makes Inequality Worse

The vast majority of state and local tax systems are upside-down, with the wealthy paying a far lesser share of their income in taxes than low- and middle-income families. Yet a few states have made strides to buck that trend and have tax codes that are somewhat progressive and therefore do not worsen inequality.

The vast majority of state and local tax systems are upside-down, with the wealthy paying a far lesser share of their income in taxes than low- and middle-income families. That’s according to the latest edition of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy’s Who Pays?, the only distributional analysis of tax systems in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Vermont: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Vermont: Who Pays? 7th Edition

Vermont Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in Vermont, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis includes nearly all (99.7 percent) state and local tax revenue collected in Vermont. State and local tax shares of family income Top 20% Income Group […]

Oregon: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Oregon: Who Pays? 7th Edition

Oregon Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in Oregon, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis includes nearly all (99.5 percent) state and local tax revenue collected in Oregon. State and local tax shares of family income Top 20% Income Group […]

New York: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

New York: Who Pays? 7th Edition

New York Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in New York, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis includes nearly all (99.9 percent) state and local tax revenue collected in New York. State and local tax shares of family income Top […]

New Jersey: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

New Jersey: Who Pays? 7th Edition

New Jersey Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in New Jersey, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis includes nearly all (99.9 percent) state and local tax revenue collected in New Jersey. State and local tax shares of family income Top […]

New Mexico: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

New Mexico: Who Pays? 7th Edition

New Mexico Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in New Mexico, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis includes nearly all (99.6 percent) state and local tax revenue collected in New Mexico. As seen in Appendix D, recent tax policy changes […]

Minnesota: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Minnesota: Who Pays? 7th Edition

Minnesota Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in Minnesota, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis includes nearly all (99.9 percent) state and local tax revenue collected in Minnesota. As seen in Appendix D, recent tax policy changes have added to […]

Massachusetts: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Massachusetts: Who Pays? 7th Edition

Massachusetts Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in Massachusetts, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis includes nearly all (99.8 percent) state and local tax revenue collected in Massachusetts. As seen in Appendix D, recent tax policy changes have significantly lessened […]

Maine: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Maine: Who Pays? 7th Edition

Maine Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in Maine, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis includes nearly all (99.8 percent) state and local tax revenue collected in Maine. State and local tax shares of family income Top 20% Income Group […]

District of Columbia: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

District of Columbia: Who Pays? 7th Edition

District of Columbia Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in the District of Columbia, presented at 2023 income levels. Senior taxpayers are excluded for reasons detailed in the methodology. Our analysis includes nearly 100 percent of DC’s tax revenue. These figures depict the District’s EITC for workers with children at its […]