Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Idaho

Audio: ITEP’s Carl Davis Discusses Idaho’s Regressive Tax System

January 30, 2024

Idaho has the 36th most regressive tax system in the nation, according to a new study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The Who Pays report says that low- and middle-income families in Idaho pay more in taxes than the wealthy, and the institute also says that disparity has only gotten worse over the last five years. May Roberts, Policy Analyst at the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy, and Carl Davis, Research Director at the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, joined Idaho Matters to break down the study.

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 […]

Idaho: Who Pays? 7th Edition

January 9, 2024 • By ITEP Staff

Idaho: Who Pays? 7th Edition

Idaho Download PDF All figures and charts show 2024 tax law in Idaho, 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 Idaho. As seen in Appendix D, recent legislative changes have increased the regressive […]

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Abortion-Restricting States Skimp on Funding for Children

November 9, 2023 • By Amy Hanauer

Abortion-Restricting States Skimp on Funding for Children

States differ dramatically in how much they allow families to make choices about whether and when to have children and how much support they provide when families do. But there is a clear pattern: the states that compel childbirth spend less to help children once they are born.

Far From Radical: State Corporate Income Taxes Already Often Look Beyond the Water’s Edge

State lawmakers are increasingly interested in reforming their corporate tax bases to start from a comprehensive measure of worldwide profit. This provides a more accurate, and less gameable, starting point for calculating profits subject to state corporate tax. Mandating this kind of filing system, known as worldwide combined reporting (WWCR), would be transformative, as it would all but eliminate state corporate tax avoidance done through the artificial shifting of profits into low-tax countries.

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States are Boosting Economic Security with Child Tax Credits in 2023

September 12, 2023 • By Aidan Davis, Neva Butkus

States are Boosting Economic Security with Child Tax Credits in 2023

Fourteen states now provide Child Tax Credits to reduce poverty, boost economic security, and invest in children. This year alone, lawmakers in three states created new Child Tax Credits while lawmakers in seven states expanded existing credits. To maximize impact, lawmakers should consider making their credits fully refundable, not including an earnings requirement, setting a maximum amount per child instead of per household, setting state-specific phase-out ranges that target low- and middle-income families, indexing to inflation, and offering the option of advanced payments.

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State Rundown 7/26: The Dog Days of Summer Tax News

July 26, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 7/26: The Dog Days of Summer Tax News

The Dog Days of summer are upon us, and with most states out of session and extreme heat waves making their way across the country, it’s a perfect time to sit back and catch up on all your favorite state tax happenings (ideally with a cool drink in hand)...

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

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 3/30: A Win for Tax Equity in The Evergreen State

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...

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State Income Tax Subsidies for Seniors

March 23, 2023 • By Carl Davis, Eli Byerly-Duke

State Income Tax Subsidies for Seniors

State governments provide a wide array of tax subsidies to their older residents. But too many of these carveouts focus on predominately wealthy and white seniors, all while the cost climbs.

State Rundown 3/1: The Long March to the Finish Line

This week, several big tax proposals took strides on the march toward becoming law...

Idaho Statesman: A Warning About Cutting Taxes in States Like Idaho That are Flush with Cash

January 27, 2023

During his State of the State address this year, Idaho Gov. Brad Little quoted Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke’s piece of ranch family wisdom. “It won’t be the bad years that put you out of business; it’s what you did in the good years that sets you up for failure or success.” Flush with cash, too […]

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Flat Taxes: ‘All Sizzle and No Steak’

January 17, 2023 • By ITEP Staff

Flat Taxes: ‘All Sizzle and No Steak’

While most states have a graduated rate income tax, some state lawmakers have recently become enamored with the idea of moving away from graduated rate personal income taxes and toward flat rate taxes instead. But flat taxes create problems for ordinary families and let the wealthy off the hook. When faced with a flat income […]

State Rundown 1/11: Governors Ready to Talk Tax in 2023 State Addresses

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...

State Child Tax Credits and Child Poverty: A 50-State Analysis

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

Measures on the November Ballot Could Improve or Worsen State Tax Codes

In a couple of weeks, voters in a handful of states will weigh in on several tax-related ballot measures that could make state tax codes more equitable and raise money for public services, or take states in the opposite direction, making tax systems less fair and draining state coffers of dollars needed to maintain critical […]

More States are Boosting Economic Security with Child Tax Credits in 2022

After years of being limited in reach, there is increasing momentum at the state level to adopt and expand Child Tax Credits. Today ten states are lifting the household incomes of families with children through yearly multi-million-dollar investments in the form of targeted, and usually refundable, CTCs.

State Rundown 9/7: Labor Day Week Provides Sobering Reminder of Steps Forward, Back

Though Labor Day has passed, advocates on the ground in states across the country are continuing to uphold the spirit of the labor movement...

Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy: 2022 Special Legislative Session: Understanding Impacts of the Tax and Education Bill

September 1, 2022

State surpluses and strong revenue growth are leaving many states with a big opportunity this year. Idaho is no exception and is faced with options to advance policies that directly improve people’s lives in education, health care, housing, child care, transportation, and other budget areas. A 2022 Special Legislative Session bill that reduces taxes and […]

State Rundown 7/27: It’s (Sales Tax) Holiday Season, But Who’s Really Celebrating?

It’s the holiday season – well, the sales tax holiday season, that is. But after taking a closer look, you may notice that there is little to celebrate...

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

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 […]

Most States Used Surpluses to Reduce Taxes But Not in Sustainable or Progressive Ways

The average person on the street would have no idea that many states experienced unprecedented budget surpluses this year. Iowa, for instance, has the most structurally deficient bridges of any state with nearly 1 in 5 falling apart. The Iowa Board of Regents proposed a 4.25 percent tuition increase for all three state universities and […]

State Rundown 6/15: States on Alert as Inflation Concerns Rise

With inflation dominating headlines both nationally and locally, state lawmakers around the U.S. are searching for ways to put their revenues to good use, and not surprisingly, some options are better than others...

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

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 4/20: New Tax Changes in Full Bloom

April 20, 2022 • By ITEP Staff

State Rundown 4/20: New Tax Changes in Full Bloom

This Spring looks to be bringing a mix of showers and flowers as states around the nation continue to act on a range of tax proposals...