Massachusetts
Governing: Back-to-School Tax Holidays Losing Popularity Among Lawmakers
August 30, 2016
“[Tax holidays] don’t help lower-income people much either, according to the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP).” Read more
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 […]
State Corporate Tax Disclosure: Why It’s Needed
• By Lisa Christensen Gee
Few state tax trends are as striking as the rapid decline of state corporate income tax revenues. As recently as 1986, state corporate income taxes equaled 0.5 percent of nationwide Gross State Product (GSP) (a measure of statewide economic activity). But in fiscal year 2013 (the last year for which data are available), state and local corporate income taxes were just 0.33 percent of nationwide GSP--representing a decline of over 30 percent.
Boston Globe: Mass. prepares for fight over proposed millionaires’ tax
May 18, 2016
“An analysis from the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that while poor and middle-income families pay about 10 percent of their income in state and local taxes, the highest-earning families pay just 6.5 percent.” Read more
Higher Education Income Tax Deductions and Credits in the States
• By Carl Davis
Read full report in PDF Download detailed appendix with state-by-state information on deductions and credits (Excel) Every state levying a personal income tax offers at least one deduction or credit designed to defray the cost of higher education. In theory, these policies help families cope with rising tuition prices by incentivizing college savings or partially […]
Boston Globe: Study finds immigration reform would bring Massachusetts over $60 million in new taxes
February 26, 2016
“In January, Gov. Charlie Baker cut $49 million from Massachusetts’ state budget. But a study Wednesday found state and local governments could recoup well more than that amount, in the event that current undocumented immigrants in the state are granted full legal status. Massachusetts would bring in more than $60 million a year in new […]
Undocumented Immigrants’ State & Local Tax Contributions (2016)
• By Lisa Christensen Gee, Meg Wiehe
This report was updated in March 2017 Read as a PDF. (Includes Full Appendix of State-by-State Data) Report Landing Page Public debates over federal immigration reform often suffer from insufficient and inaccurate information about the tax contributions of undocumented immigrants particularly at the state level. The truth is that undocumented immigrants living in the United […]
Rewarding Work Through State Earned Income Tax Credits
• By Aidan Davis, Lisa Christensen Gee, Meg Wiehe
See the 2016 Updated Brief Here Read the brief in a PDF here. that time, the EITC has been improved to lift and keep more working families out of poverty. The most recent improvements enhanced the credit for families with three or more children and for married couples. First enacted temporarily as part of the […]
MassLive: ‘Millionaires’ tax’ raises questions of fairness, business practices, transit needs at Statehouse hearing
January 19, 2016
“According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the top 1 percent of Massachusetts earners (those making more than $860,000) pay 4.9 percent of their income in state and local taxes, while the middle 20 percent (those earning $44,000 to $70,000) pay 9.3 percent of their income in state and local taxes. This reflects […]
Boston Globe: The expected ripple effect of GE’s move to Boston
January 14, 2016
“The conglomerate is also known for its skill in finding tax advantages: Critics say it often pays minimal corporate taxes in the states where it does business. “It’s hard to see how taxes could be part of this calculus, since GE has been successful in reducing its state taxes to zero nationwide,” said Matthew Gardner, […]
Massachusets Budget and Policy Center: Funding Improvements for Schools, Roads, and Public Transit with Tax Reforms that Improve Fairness
• By ITEP Staff
Our economic growth is not translating into significant economic progress for most of our people and this directly harms working families. The lack of more broadly shared economic progress also has harmed our state’s ability to make important investments that can make life better for working people.
CPA Practice Advisory: The Pros and Cons of Sales Tax Holidays – A Mixed Blessing
October 23, 2015
“While families and teachers merit a tax break on school-related goods, this perk comes at a cost. This year, tax holidays in 18 states will cost an estimated $300 million in tax revenue, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The Boston Globe reports that Massachusetts’ wide-net holiday will cost the state $25 […]
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center: Examining Tax Fairness
• By ITEP Staff
Taxes are the primary way we pay for the things that we do together through government. These include things like police and fire protection; public education; roads, bridges and public transportation; a safety net for when people face hard times; and more. Determining how much people at different income levels pay in taxes is important […]
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center: Licenses for Immigrant Drivers in Massachusetts
• By ITEP Staff
Immigrants make important contributions to the Massachusetts economy. They spend income as consumers and contribute to state and local taxes.Yet, they often face barriers to full inclusion and economic stability. For instance, many immigrants with specific training and credentials from their home country have a difficult time finding jobs in their field because these foreign […]
A Primer on State Rainy Day Funds
• By Aidan Davis
Read the Report in PDF Form An individual savings account can serve as an emergency reserve – a financial cushion to sustain yourself in the event of an emergency. “Rainy day” funds are much like individual saving accounts, but on a statewide scale. Lawmakers use rainy day funds to set aside state tax revenue during […]
Accounting Today: Tax Breaks Make an Impact on Fighting Poverty
October 5, 2015
“The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has updated its report on State Tax Codes as Poverty Fighting Tools, which examines how refundable Earned Income Tax Credits, property tax breaks, targeted low-income tax credits and child-related tax credits are working in different states. While a number of states such as California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey […]
State Tax Codes As Poverty Fighting Tools
• By Aidan Davis, Meg Wiehe
The U.S. Census Bureau released data in September showing that the share of Americans living in poverty remains high. In 2014, the national poverty rate was 14.8 percent - statistically unchanged from the previous year. However, the poverty rate remains 2.3 percentage points higher than it was in 2007, before the Great Recession, indicating that recent economic gains have not yet reached all households and that there is much room for improvement. The 2014 measure…
Rewarding Work Through State Earned Income Tax Credits
• By Aidan Davis, Lisa Christensen Gee, Meg Wiehe
Despite some economic gains in recent years, the number of Americans living in poverty has held steady over the past four years. At the same time, wages for working families have remained stagnant and more than half of the jobs created by the economic recovery since 2010 were low-paying, mostly in the food services, retail, and employment services industries. Our country's growing class of low-wage workers often faces a dual challenge as they struggle to…
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center: Funding Improvements for Schools, Roads, and Public Transit with Tax Reforms that Improve Fairness
• By ITEP Staff
We can expand opportunity for our people and strengthen our economy by making smart investments to improve our schools; make our colleges and universities affordable; and build a transportation system that gets families, students, workers and customers to the places they need to be. There are fair and effective ways that we could pay for […]
TV Newsroom: Tax-Free Weekend Offers Great Savings
August 17, 2015
“The bottom line is that whatever policy goal you want to achieve through a sales tax holiday, there are probably better ways to achieve those goals”, said Matthew Gardner, executive director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.”
The Herald News: Sen. Michael Rodrigues: Why I Oppose the Massachusetts Sales Tax Holiday
July 29, 2015
It is that time of year again on Beacon Hill, when the Legislature debates and ultimately passes a sales tax holiday for a weekend in August. Let’s be clear, the tax holiday enables elected officials to break for summer recess on a high note, with something to tout to their constituents. The Institute on Taxation […]
NBC: Sales Tax Holidays Complex, Controversial, But Popular With Shoppers
July 28, 2015
Research by the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy contends that increased sales during the tax holidays “have been shown to be primarily the result of consumers’ shifting the timing of their planned purchases.” That organization estimates sales tax holidays will cost states $300 million in 2015. “A two- to three-day sales tax holiday […]
CNBC: Tax-Free Shopping Ahead for These States
July 24, 2015
Research by the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, however, contends that increased sales during the tax holidays “have been shown to be primarily the result of consumers’ shifting the timing of their planned purchases.” That organization estimates sales tax holidays will cost states $300 million in 2015. “A two- to three-day sales tax […]
Sales Tax Holidays: An Ineffective Alternative to Real Sales Tax Reform
• By Lisa Christensen Gee
Lawmakers in many states have enacted "sales tax holidays" (at least 17 states will hold them in 2015), to provide a temporary break on paying the tax on purchases of clothing, computers and other items. While these holidays may seem to lessen the regressive impacts of the sales tax, their benefits are minimal. This policy brief examines the many problems associated with sales tax holidays and concludes that they have more political than policy benefits.
Huffington Post: How Some States Are Trying To Fix Their Crumbling Infrastructure
July 6, 2015
Carl Davis, research director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said efforts to raise state taxes to pay for roads and bridges exploded this year. In 2013 and 2014, four states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Wyoming) increased their gas taxes, while Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island indexed the gas tax to either […]
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