Louisiana
What to Watch in the States: Modernizing Sales Taxes for a 21st Century Economy
• By Misha Hill
This is the fourth installment of our six-part series on 2017 state tax trends. The introduction to this series is available here. State lawmakers often find themselves looking for ways to raise revenue to fund vital public services, fill budget gaps, or pay for the elimination or weakening of progressive taxes. Lately, that search has […]
What to Watch in the States: Gas Tax Hikes and Swaps
• By Carl Davis
This is the second installment of our six part series on 2017 state tax trends. The introduction to this series is available here. State tax policy can be a divisive issue, but no area has generated more agreement among lawmakers across the country than the need to raise new revenues to fund infrastructure improvements. The […]
What to Watch in the States: Further Attempts to Weaken or Eliminate Progressive Taxes
• By Aidan Davis
This is the third installment of our six-part series on 2017 state tax trends. The introduction to this series is available here. As we described last week, many states are gearing up for challenging budget debates this year. But the need to address revenue shortfalls has not stopped lawmakers in many states from pursuing harmful […]
State Rundown 2/1: 2017 State Tax Debates Getting Real
• By ITEP Staff
This week’s Rundown brings news of tax cuts passed in Arkansas and advanced in Idaho, proposals to exempt feminine hygiene products from sales taxes in Nevada and Michigan, revenue shortfalls forcing tough choices in Louisiana and Maine, and more governors’ state of the state addresses and budget proposals setting the stage for yet more tax […]
State Tax & Revenue Information
• By ITEP Staff
Below is a list of notable resources for information on state taxes and revenues: Alabama Alabama Department of Revenue Alabama Department of Finance – Executive Budget Office Alabama Department of Revenue – Tax Incentives for Industry Alabama Legislative Fiscal Office Alaska Alaska Department of Revenue – Tax Division Alaska Office of Management & Budget Alaska […]
And Then There Were Six: Amazon Expands Its Sales Tax Collection
• By Carl Davis
UPDATE: After this post was published, Amazon announced that it will begin collecting sales tax in Oklahoma on March 1. This post has been updated to reflect this development. The nation’s largest Internet retailer has made an about-face on its sales tax policy, making consumers’ ability to evade sales tax on online purchases a little […]
What to Watch in the States Series: Tax Policy 2017
• By Lisa Christensen Gee
Over the next few weeks we will be blogging about what we’re watching in state tax policy during 2017 legislative sessions. In this “What to Watch in the States” series, we will look at the following: State responses to short- and long-term revenue deficits Boosting funding for infrastructure, though sometimes at the expense of other […]
An Overview of State Tax Trends in 2017
• By Meg Wiehe
Since the 2007-2009 economic crisis, rising income inequality and the role our public policies play in aiding or easing this trend have been an ongoing part of the public discourse. In spite of what we know about the growing gap between the rich and the rest of us, federal and state policymakers continue to sell […]
Fairness Matters: A Chart Book on Who Pays State and Local Taxes
• By Carl Davis, Meg Wiehe
When states shy away from personal income taxes in favor of higher sales and excise taxes, high-income taxpayers benefit at the expense of low- and moderate-income families who often face above-average tax rates to pick up the slack. This chart book demonstrates this basic reality by examining the distribution of taxes in states that have pursued these types of policies. Given the detrimental impact that regressive tax policies have on economic opportunity, income inequality, revenue…
Alaska’s Motor Fuel Tax: A National and Historical Outlier
• By Carl Davis
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker recently proposed tripling his state's motor fuel tax rates.[1] While a variety of fuel types would be affected by this proposal, three-fourths (or $60 million) of the revenue raised each year would come from higher taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel--sometimes referred to as highway fuels--purchased by Alaska motorists. Absent any national or historical context, tripling Alaska's gasoline and diesel fuel tax rates may sound like a radical policy change. But…
Bloomberg BNA: Congress, Courts, Oil Among Pressures on State Budgets
January 23, 2017
“A further problem facing oil states such as Oklahoma, Louisiana, North Dakota and West Virginia is deep cuts they made to severance and other taxes “when times were good,” Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, told Bloomberg BNA.” Read more
State Rundown 1/18: Revenue Woes Piling Up Faster Than Solutions
• By ITEP Staff
This week we continue to track revenue shortfalls, governors’ budget proposals, and other tax news around the country, finding most proposals to be focused on slashing taxes and reducing public investments despite public opinion and economic research showing the benefits of well-funded state services and progressive tax policies. — Meg Wiehe, ITEP State Policy Director, […]
Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development: Sustainable Solutions for Multimodal Transportation Infrastructure in Louisiana
• By ITEP Staff
The Governor’s Task Force on Transportation Infrastructure Investment is an 18-member Task Force established by Governor Edwards to recommend community-driven solutions for Louisiana’s transportation infrastructure investment needs. The Task Force submitted its formal recommendations to the Governor in December 2016. Read the full report here
State Rundown 1/4: Revenue Shortfalls, Gas Tax Changes Dominate Early Debates
• By ITEP Staff
This week we bring you updates on major revenue shortfalls looming in Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania, as well as gas tax changes taking effect in some states and being debated in others. — Meg Wiehe, ITEP State Policy Director, @megwiehe Oklahoma lawmakers are weighing options to close the state’s $870 million shortfall. Up for discussion are […]
The Governor’s Task Force on Infrastructure Investment: Sustainable Solutions for Multimodal Transportaion Infrastructure in Louisiana
• By ITEP Staff
Pursuant to the charges of JBE 2016-23, the Governor’s Task Force on Transportation Infrastructure Investment (Task Force) worked diligently over a six-month period to determine what must be done to address Louisiana’s vast multimodal transportation issues. Through the course of six formal meetings at the capitol and by attending eight regional meetings across the State […]
Report to the Louisiana Governor: SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN LOUISIANA
• By ITEP Staff
Pursuant to the charges of JBE 2016-23, the Governor’s Task Force on Transportation Infrastructure Investment (Task Force) worked diligently over a six-month period to determine what must be done to address Louisiana’s vast multimodal transportation issues. Through the course of six formal meetings at the capitol and by attending eight regional meetings across the State […]
Yahoo! Finance: New Jersey just hiked its gas tax by 159%. Is your state next?
November 7, 2016
“Of course, New Jersey isn’t the only state that has or is toying with raising gasoline taxes. Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington upped their gas taxes in 2015, notes the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Louisiana, Tennessee, Alaska, Alabama and Minnesota are contemplating increases in 2017.” […]
The Acadiana Advocate: Task force reveals budget, tax recommendations for Legislature
November 3, 2016
“Meanwhile, the Louisiana Budget Project, which advocates on behalf of low and moderate income people, said “more is needed to put Louisiana’s budget back in the black.” “A preliminary analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows that even if the Legislature agrees to the sales tax and income-tax changes recommended by the […]
State Tax Subsidies for Private K-12 Education
• By Carl Davis
This report explains the workings, and problems, with state-level tax subsidies for private K-12 education. It also discusses how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has exacerbated some of these problems by allowing taxpayers to claim federal charitable deductions even on private school contributions that were not truly charitable in nature. Finally, an appendix to this report provides additional detail on the specific K-12 private school tax subsidies made available by each state.
State Tax Codes as Poverty Fighting Tools
• By Aidan Davis, Meg Wiehe
Despite this unlevel playing field states create for their poorest residents through existing policies, many state policymakers have proposed (and in some cases enacted) tax increases on the poor under the guise of "tax reform," often to finance tax cuts for their wealthiest residents and profitable corporations.
The Folly of State Capital Gains Tax Cuts
• By Dylan Grundman O'Neill, Meg Wiehe
Read the brief in a PDF here. The federal tax system treats income from capital gains more favorably than income from work. A number of state tax systems do as well, offering tax breaks for profits realized from local investments and, in some instances, from investments around the world. As states struggle to cope with […]
Achieving Sustainable Infrastructure Revenue with Gas Tax Reform
• By Carl Davis
This brief outlines the causes of Louisiana's infrastructure revenue shortfall and offers recommendations for how the state can achieve "sufficient increased levels of recurring funding to address the transportation backlog in highway and bridge maintenance needs in Louisiana," as per the Task Force's mandate.
Politico: The Problem for Energy States
August 5, 2016
The liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy is out with a new paper arguing that energy-rich states cut corners and relied too heavily on their wealth of natural resources, instead of setting up tax systems based on more solid footing. States like Alaska and Louisiana, ITEP writes, showered tax cuts on both individuals and […]
Fiscal Policy Shake-up Comes to Energy States
• By Aidan Davis
The sharp decline in oil prices since summer 2014 has allowed consumers to save hundreds of dollars annually at the pump, but it also has left some energy producing states clamoring to come up with policy ideas to make up for lost revenue.
Sales Tax Holidays: An Ineffective Alternative to Real Sales Tax Reform
• By Meg Wiehe
This brief was updated July 2018 Read this Policy Brief in PDF here. Sales taxes are an important revenue source, composing close to half of all state tax revenues.[1] But sales taxes are also inherently regressive because the lower a family’s income, the more the family must spend on goods and services subject to the […]
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