Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Kansas

Kansas City Star: Study Ranks Kansas, Missouri Fairly High in Tax Fairness

September 17, 2014

Missouri and Kansas appear to have relatively fair state and local tax systems when compared with other states, according to a study released Monday. The study by WalletHub, a personal finance website, ranked Kansas 14th for tax fairness. Missouri ranked 21st.  The survey results were then compared with state and local tax burden data from […]

Associated Press: Missouri lawmakers pass tax cut; veto possible

April 17, 2014

(Original Post) Thursday, April 17, 2014 By DAVID A. LIEB ~ The Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Setting up a likely veto showdown, the Republican-led Missouri Legislature gave final approval Wednesday to an income-tax cut for millions of individuals and thousands of business owners that Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon warned could imperil funding for […]

Kansas Center for Economic Growth: Kansas Taxes in 2013 – Who Pays?

April 15, 2014

The tax cuts in Kansas disproportionately affect our poorest residents. While the wealthiest Kansans take home enough money to purchase more than 14,000 loaves of bread, low-income families OWE more taxes, which means 125 fewer loaves of bread for them. Read the Full Report

The Washington Post: New report slams Kansas tax cuts

March 28, 2014

(Original Post)  BY NIRAJ CHOKSHI March 27 at 3:22 pm In 2012, Kansas enacted one of the largest tax cuts of any state ever, and the short-term results aren’t promising, a new report finds. “Kansas is a cautionary tale, not a model,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities researchers Michael Leachman and Chris Mai write […]

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Lessons for Other States from Kansas’ Massive Tax Cuts

March 27, 2014

Tax cuts enacted in Kansas in 2012 were among the largest ever enacted by any state, and have since been held up by tax-cut proponents in other states as a model worth replicating.  In truth, Kansas is a cautionary tale, not a model.  As other states recover from the recent recession and turn toward the […]

Far too often, lawmakers use tax cuts to score political points and throw around phrases such as “more effective government” to gloss over the lasting, negative effects of starving public investments. In the case of Kansas, public schools are paying the price. The state Supreme Court ruled last Friday that the state Legislature hasn’t allocated […]

The Huffington Post: Why Rick Perry Is So Wrong About California And New York

March 10, 2014

(Original Post) Posted: 03/08/2014 10:20 am EST Updated: 03/08/2014 10:59 am EST Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) was the standout star at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year, in no small part because of his impassioned plea for Americans to recognize that the fate of the U.S. comes down to a battle of visions […]

The News Tribune: MoDOT sales tax petition withdrawn

March 6, 2014

Supporters of a ballot initiative that would raise the state sales and use taxes to fund transportation projects have withdrawn their petition from the Secretary of State’s Office. Missourians for Safe Transportation and New Jobs submitted a proposal last October to place an initiative increasing the sales and use taxes by 1 percent on the […]

The Hutchinson News: Fuel-efficient cars limit motor fuel tax revenues

March 6, 2014

(Original Post) Posted: Wednesday, March 5, 2014 10:22 am By Mary Clarkin The Hutchinson News [email protected] More fuel-efficient vehicles rolling off production lines will make it harder to maintain Reno County’s roads and bridges, authorities caution. Motorists in Kansas pay 24 cents a gallon at the gas pump in motor fuels tax. The State Highway […]

The Fiscal Times: The 10 Best States for Taxes in 2014

January 27, 2014

(Original Post) BETH BRAVERMAN The Fiscal Times January 24, 2014 Anyone who has a head start on tax planning this year knows that many Americans – particularly high earners – are paying a lot more in taxes this year. But while there’s no dodging federal taxes, the pinch of additional levies varies greatly depending on […]

Open Sky Policy Institute: Typical family pays less tax in Nebraska than in most similar states

January 24, 2014

Middle-income Nebraskans pay relatively low taxes compared to their counterparts in eight nearby states with similar economies and tax structures. A family earning the median family income in Nebraska ($63,442) would pay less in taxes than a similar family in all but two of these states – Colorado and Kansas. (Table 1) The other comparable […]

Chicago Tribune: Boeing makes sky-high request for states wanting 777X plant

December 19, 2013

  When it comes to corporate incentives, leave it to an aerospace company to test the limits of what will fly. For those hoping to host production of its newest big jet, Chicago-based Boeing has a wish list that even Santa, his reindeer and all his little helpers would be hard-pressed to lift, let alone […]

Omaha World-Herald: Tax Modernization Committee ideas don’t wow business groups

November 18, 2013

PUBLISHED MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013 AT 12:30 AM / UPDATED AT 12:15 AM By Paul Hammel / World-Herald bureau LINCOLN — A preliminary proposal to revise Nebraska’s tax system is getting a mix of kudos and criticism, generating little consensus. While those who represent retirees and low-income groups say the plan would help people afford […]

Politico: Arthur Laffer is back as GOP tax man

October 15, 2013

  By RACHAEL BADE | 10/14/13 11:03 PM EDT Four decades ago at the Washington Hotel, a quirky economist made a pitch on the back of a napkin to Ford administration officials Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld: Cutting taxes would create an economic boom. Back then, many Republicans opposed tax cuts, but that famous “Laffer […]

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State Tax Codes As Poverty Fighting Tools

September 19, 2013 • By Meg Wiehe

New Census Bureau data released this month show that the share of Americans living in poverty remains high, despite other signs of economic recovery. The national 2012 poverty rate of 15 percent is essentially unchanged since 2010 , but still 2.5 percentage points higher than pre-recession levels. This means that in 2012, 46.5 million, or about 1 in 6 Americans, lived in poverty.1 The poverty rate in most states also held steady with five states experiencing an increase in either the number or share of residents living in poverty while only two states saw a decline.2

Columbia Journalism Review: Invasion of the Job Snatcher

September 9, 2013

(Original Post) As the Missouri media takes up arms against Rick Perry, some facts and context get lost in the fray By Deron Lee FAIRWAY, KS — Texas and Missouri no longer square off as Big 12 opponents, but governors Rick Perry and Jay Nixon—with some help from Missouri’s media—have ignited a new interstate rivalry. […]

The Joplin Globe: Sloppy attempt would lead Missourians into dark hole

August 26, 2013

(Original Post) August 26, 2013 By Elliott Denniston Special to The Globe WEBB CITY, Mo. — Republican legislators and a handful of self-interested groups are campaigning to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of House Bill 253, a slipshod attempt to revise our income tax code. The bill drastically shifts the burden from high earners to […]

Tax incentives are intended to spur economic growth that would not have otherwise occurred. More specifically, these narrowly targeted tax breaks are usually offered in an attempt to convince businesses to relocate, hire, and/or invest within a state's borders.

Off the Charts: Getting the Whole Story in State Tax Debates

July 10, 2013

(Original Post) July 8, 2013 at 9:02 am Posted by: Nicholas Johnson This year’s state tax debates have revealed a very important flaw in how states typically make tax policy.  Fortunately, it’s a flaw that can be fixed. In most states, policymakers lack sufficient information on how tax changes will affect the after-tax distribution of […]

The Wichita Eagle: Average Kansan probably won’t notice small dip in sales tax rate on most purchases, lawmaker says

July 1, 2013

(Original Post) By BRENT D. WISTROM Eagle Topeka bureau Published Saturday, June 29, 2013, at 5:18 p.m. TOPEKA — The state’s portion of the sales tax is about shrink a little. Today, the state would collect $31.50 in sales tax on a $500 purchase. Starting Monday, it will take 75 cents less because of a […]

US News & World Report: What’s the Matter with Kansas’ Tax Policy?

June 18, 2013

(Original Post) By Pat GarofaloJune 13, 2013 Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has presided over one of the most rightward lurches of any state in the nation, on issues such as health care, abortion and education. But the crown jewel of his administration has been a package of cuts to Kansas’ income tax – the […]

US News & World Report: What’s the Matter with Kansas’ Tax Policy?

June 18, 2013

(Original Post) By Pat GarofaloJune 13, 2013 Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has presided over one of the most rightward lurches of any state in the nation, on issues such as health care, abortion and education. But the crown jewel of his administration has been a package of cuts to Kansas’ income tax – the […]

Hays Daily News: Costly session

May 30, 2013

(Original Post) 5/29/2013    With conservative super-majorities in place on both sides of the Kansas Statehouse, Gov. Sam Brownback had to have been expecting a relatively cooperative and short session this year. Rubberstamp a few more tax cuts for those who didn’t need them, a few more reductions in services for those who do need […]

Lawrence World Journal: GOP tax plans would increase taxes on low-wage Kansans, decrease taxes for high-income Kansans, report says

May 23, 2013

(Original Post) Posted by Scott Rothschild May 23, 2013 at 11:30 a.m. Topeka — Taxes will increase for low-wage Kansans and decrease for those with higher incomes under plans being considered by Republican state legislators, according to a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy looked at the various proposals before […]

The Commonwealth Institute: What Would a Cut to the Top Individual Income Tax Rate Mean for Virginians?

May 17, 2013

A proposal to eliminate Virginia’s top individual income tax rate would overwhelmingly benefit the state’s wealthiest residents, who already spend far less of their household budgets on state and local taxes than any other group. Nearly 40 percent of Virginia taxpayers would see no reduction in their taxes under the plan and most of the […]