Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Florida

Florida Policy Institute: A Risky Proposition: Weakening Local Governments by Eliminating Property Tax Revenue

February 25, 2025

In Florida, the ability of local governments to raise revenue for operations is limited by the state constitution.[1] With the exception of fees, special assessments,[2] and the property tax, also known as an ad valorem tax, local governments are dependent on the Legislature and state laws for authority to levy other forms of taxation and raise revenue. Consequently, as a matter of fiscal management and local autonomy, the property tax is paramount. Considering recent policy proposals to eliminate property taxes (see Appendix), this brief explores the property tax, its role as a source of local fiscal autonomy, possibilities for reform, and the…

Revenue Effect of Mandatory Worldwide Combined Reporting by State

Universal adoption of mandatory worldwide combined reporting (WWCR) in states with corporate income taxes would boost state tax revenue by $18.7 billion per year. The revenue effects of mandatory WWCR would vary across states. We estimate that 38 states and the District of Columbia would experience revenue increases totaling $19.1 billion. The top 10 states […]

State Rundown 2/20: Tools to Address Corporate Tax Avoidance and Property Tax Affordability

A new ITEP report finds that states could raise $19 billion a year with one policy change targeting corporate tax avoidance. That policy, worldwide combined reporting, strengthens state corporate taxation by giving states a full view of multinational corporate profits, essentially eliminating the tax savings that companies currently see by pretending their profits were earned in Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, and other international tax havens.

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Wide-Ranging 2025 State Tax Debates Come into Focus

February 20, 2025 • By Aidan Davis

Wide-Ranging 2025 State Tax Debates Come into Focus

In the face of immense uncertainty around looming federal tax and budget decisions, many of which could threaten state budgets, state lawmakers have an opportunity to show up for their constituents by raising and protecting the revenue needed to fund shared priorities. Lawmakers have a choice: advance tax policies that improve equity and help communities thrive, or push tax policies that disproportionately benefit the wealthy, drain funding for critical public services, and make it harder for most families to get ahead. 

Worldwide combined reporting negates the tax benefits of shifting corporate income offshore Public polling has consistently shown for decades that most people believe big multinational corporations are paying too little in taxes. Closing the loopholes these corporations use to avoid taxes is one of the most effective – and popular – solutions to this problem. […]

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A Revenue Analysis of Worldwide Combined Reporting in the States

February 20, 2025 • By Carl Davis, Matthew Gardner, Michael Mazerov

A Revenue Analysis of Worldwide Combined Reporting in the States

Universal adoption of mandatory worldwide combined reporting would boost state corporate income tax revenues by roughly 14 percent. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia would experience revenue increases totaling $19.1 billion.

State Rundown 2/12: State Tax Policy Heats Up as Winter Storms Sweep Much of the Country

Tax policy proposals are a hot topic of conversation across the country. Both North and South Dakota are considering property taxes cuts, while proposed cuts in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas are percolating. Meanwhile, fiscal conditions are tight in states like Alaska, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. None are on the cusp of passing new revenue, but years of recent tax cuts and inflation have caught up to states and many lawmakers have revenue gaps to close. 

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Turning IRS Agents to Deportation Will Reduce Public Revenues

February 11, 2025 • By Carl Davis, Jon Whiten

Turning IRS Agents to Deportation Will Reduce Public Revenues

The Trump Administration’s plan to turn IRS agents into deportation agents will result in lower tax collections in addition to the harm done to the families and communities directly affected by deportations.

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State Rundown 2/6: Tax Proposals in the Spotlight

February 6, 2025 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 2/6: Tax Proposals in the Spotlight

Tax changes have been proposed or are nearing the finish line in many states. Kentucky is poised to enact an income tax cut as a bill heads to the governor’s desk. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal called to accelerate existing corporate tax cuts while closing corporate tax loopholes by enacting combined reporting. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine proposed a new credit for children of working parents. And Virginia Democrats countered Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed tax cuts with a plan of their own that includes an increase to the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and a one-time, nonrefundable tax…

Florida Policy Institute: Deferring Dreams: The Costly Plan to Repeal Tuition Fairness for Florida Dreamers

January 31, 2025

Legislation[1] was introduced during the January 2025 special legislative session that would repeal Florida’s tuition fairness law.[2] This law, which passed with bipartisan support in 2014, requires that colleges, universities, and postsecondary institutions waive out-of-state tuition for certain undocumented students who graduated high school in the state.

The New Statesman: Donald Trump’s Florida Project

January 30, 2025

But Mar-a-Lago is just the crown jewel in the Floridisation of US politics. A born and bred New Yorker, Trump switched his primary residence from Manhattan to Palm Beach during his first term, stating that he had “been treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and state [of New York]. Few have been treated worse.” There was also a more practical rationale for becoming a Florida resident: lower taxes. Florida is one of just nine states that do not levy state income taxes on residents. According to a recent report by the Institute on Taxation and…

State Tax Watch 2025

January 28, 2025 • By ITEP Staff

State Tax Watch 2025

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.

Trump’s Plan to Extend His 2017 Tax Provisions: Updated National and State-by-State Estimates

Trump’s plan to make most of the temporary provisions of his 2017 tax law permanent would disproportionately benefit the richest Americans. This includes all major provisions except the $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local taxes (SALT) paid.

USA Today: Trump Deportation Plan Could Target as Many as 1.1 Million People in Florida

November 20, 2024

With President-elect Donald Trump poised to declare a national emergency to clear the way for the mass deportation of undocumented migrants, Florida may face wholesale disruption in the coming year. Immigration experts say about 5% of Florida’s population – 1.1 million residents – are living here without legal permission. How far Trump goes will be critical in gauging deportation’s impact on communities, families, workplaces and the Florida economy.

2024 State Tax Ballot Questions: Voters to Weigh in on Tax Changes Big and Small

As we approach November’s election, voters in several states will be weighing in on tax policy changes. The outcomes will impact the equity of state and local tax systems and the adequacy of the revenue those systems are able to raise to fund public services.

State Rundown 10/10: More Special Sessions, More Proposed Tax Cuts

This week several states are getting an early start at writing new tax policy in special sessions. In West Virginia, the legislature has come to an agreement with Gov. Justice on an additional tax cut—on top of already-planned cuts. The 2 percent cut will cost the state $49 million a year and come from spending […]

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Trump’s Plan to Vaporize the Economy Through Mass Deportation

September 16, 2024 • By Michael Ettlinger

Trump’s Plan to Vaporize the Economy Through Mass Deportation

This op-ed originally appeared in the Boston Globe. What would happen if 22 percent of America’s farmworkers vanished from the workforce? Would workers from across the country flock to the cotton fields of Texas, the sugar fields of Florida, and the peanut farms of Georgia to take low-paying jobs in the blazing heat? Or would […]

Extending Temporary Provisions of the 2017 Trump Tax Law: Updated National and State-by-State Estimates

The TCJA Permanency Act would make permanent the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that are set to expire at the end of 2025. The legislation would disproportionately benefit the richest Americans. Below are graphics for each state that show the effects of making TCJA permanent across income groups. See ITEP’s […]

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Which States Have Joined IRS Direct File?

September 5, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Which States Have Joined IRS Direct File?

The IRS has opened its free tax filing service called Direct File to every state for the 2025 tax filing season. Direct File was made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which provided new resources for the IRS to improve customer service and ensure taxpayers claim the benefits and deductions for which they are […]

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Local Tax Trends in 2024

August 14, 2024 • By Kamolika Das

Local Tax Trends in 2024

Many cities, counties, and townships across the country are in a difficult, or at least unstable, budgetary position. Localities are responding to these financial pressures in a variety of ways with some charging ahead with enacting innovative reforms like short-term rental and vacancy taxes, and others setting up local tax commissions to study the problem.

Sales Tax Holidays Miss the Mark When it Comes to Effective Sales Tax Reform

Nineteen states have sales tax holidays on the books in 2024. These suspensions combined will cost states and localities over $1.3 billion in lost revenue this year. Sales tax holidays are poorly targeted and too temporary to meaningfully change the regressive nature of a state’s tax system.

State and Local Tax Contributions by Undocumented Immigrants

Undocumented immigrants pay taxes that help fund public infrastructure, institutions, and services in every U.S. state. Nearly 39 percent of the total tax dollars paid by undocumented immigrants in 2022 ($37.3 billion) went to state and local governments.

USA Today: Report: Targeted for Deportation by Trump, Undocumented Immigrants Pay Billions in Taxes

August 1, 2024

Florida is among a half-dozen states which each collect more than $1 billion in taxes from undocumented immigrants – a flow of public money likely to disappear under Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan, a new report shows.

Florida Policy Institute: Florida Should Welcome Immigrants

August 1, 2024

New research confirms that immigrants without a documented status still contribute economically, despite most not being eligible for any public services or benefits. Many immigrants without a documented status pay taxes — primarily via sales and excise taxes on purchases.[1] The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy’s (ITEP’s) latest report details the state and local taxes immigrants without a documented status contribute throughout the United States. Nationwide, ITEP finds that for every 1 million undocumented immigrant residents, revenue for public services increases by $8.9 billion.

Contact: Jon Whiten ([email protected]) Immigration policies have taken center stage in public debates this year, but much of the conversation has been driven by emotion, not data. A new in-depth study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy aims to help change that by quantifying how much undocumented immigrants pay in taxes – both […]