Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Kentucky

State Rundown 1/7: New Year, New Opportunities for Progressive Revenue

As we kick off a new year, several states are facing revenue shortfalls. Some lawmakers are approaching the challenge with sustainable and equitable solutions.

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: In New Poll, Kentuckians Say Income Tax Cuts Aren’t Helping

January 5, 2026

Kentucky’s legislative leaders have made reducing the state’s individual income tax rate their top priority in recent years. Lawmakers have repeatedly acted on that, reducing the rate several times and costing the state billions annually that could have been invested in kids and families. Read more.

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: A State Budget for an Affordable Kentucky: Preview of the 2026–2028 Budget of the Commonwealth

December 17, 2025

The Kentucky General Assembly will perform its most important job — crafting a two-year state budget that funds education, health, social services and other critical needs. But unlike recent years, when pandemic-era stimulus created robust revenue growth, lawmakers are now facing a serious budget crunch due to the loss of federal funds, a weakening economy […]

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: Building a Kentucky Workers Can Afford

December 2, 2025

The working class drives prosperity, and it’s time for an agenda in Frankfort that puts them first. From the state’s rural counties to our biggest cities, it’s Kentuckians—whether white, Black or brown—who make it all go. Supported by the right policies, ones that reward their efforts and prioritize their concerns, more Kentuckians could work in […]

Re-Examining 529 Plans: Stopping State Subsidies to Private Schools After New Trump Tax Law

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.

State Rundown 11/13: States Tackle Impending Deficits, Pennsylvania Secures an EITC

Revenue forecasts look increasingly grim as states anticipate shortfalls due to the slowing economy and impacts of the new federal tax law.

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy: State and Federal Tax Cuts of the Last Decade Are Giving an Enormous Windfall to the Wealthiest Kentuckians

November 12, 2025

In 2026, Kentucky’s richest 5% will receive $3.4 billion from tax cuts enacted over the last decade. That’s revenue no longer available to meet people’s needs. Kentucky workers, meanwhile, are facing stagnant and inadequate wages and a growing cost of living crisis that will get worse if state budget cuts are enacted. Read more.

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The 5 Biggest State Tax Cuts for Millionaires this Year

October 16, 2025 • By Dylan Grundman O'Neill, Aidan Davis

The 5 Biggest State Tax Cuts for Millionaires this Year

Some states continue to hand out huge tax cuts to millionaires. The five largest tax cuts this year will cost states a total of $2.2 billion per year once fully implemented.

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State Tax Action in 2025: Amid Uncertainty, Tax Cuts and New Revenue

July 28, 2025 • By Aidan Davis, Neva Butkus, Marco Guzman

State Tax Action in 2025: Amid Uncertainty, Tax Cuts and New Revenue

Federal policy choices on tariffs, taxes, and spending cuts will be deeply felt by all states, which will have less money available to fund key priorities. This year some states raised revenue to ensure that their coffers were well-funded, some proceeded with warranted caution, and many others passed large regressive tax cuts that pile on to the massive tax cuts the wealthiest just received under the federal megabill.