Washington
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, […]
Convenience Store and Fuel News: Which States’ Gas Taxes Are Going Up in 2016? And which are going down?
January 12, 2016
“Four states increased gasoline taxes at the start of 2016, while five actually lowered them. That’s according to an analysis by The Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy (ITEP), a nonpartisan, Washington-based research organization that focuses on local tax-policy issues. The four states that increased their gasoline tax on Jan. 1 are Florida, Maryland, Nebraska […]
Oklahoma Watch: Study Finds a Decade of Income Tax Cuts Deprived State of $1B This Year
January 12, 2016
“Income tax cuts approved by governors and legislators of both parties over the past decade reduced this year’s state revenue collections by more than $1 billion, according to an independent data analysis. The calculation by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in Washington suggests that past income tax cuts contributed significantly to the state’s […]
Fairfield Citizen: State aims for winning hand in high-stakes game to keep GE
December 18, 2015
“The real problem of giving into corporate demands like these is you’re basically inviting other companies to make this same threat,” said Matthew Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington think tank.” Read more
International Business Times: Tax Code To Direct $2 Trillion To Programs That Disproportionately Benefit The Rich And Corporations
December 15, 2015
“Most of the big tax expenditures have an incredibly corrosive effect on tax fairness and would never pass muster if they were funded as direct-spending programs rather than tax breaks,” said Matt Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington-based group that has pushed to end some tax expenditures. “If […]
CT Post: Bidding war for GE; corporations call the shots
December 14, 2015
“The sweepstakes underscores the leverage corporations have to dictate terms to states and how loudly their complaints can resonate. Cutting some proposed corporate taxes was part of the reason Gov. Dannel P. Malloy called a special session of the General Assembly last week. “The real problem of giving into corporate demands like these is you’re […]
Washington Examiner: Illegal immigration trips up tax deal
December 7, 2015
The improper payments to illegal immigrants, though, are minor compared to the revenue those workers contribute through payroll taxes, argued Matt Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit left-of-center think tank. Gardner noted a 2013 Social Security Administration study finding that illegal immigrants pay $12 billion annually into […]
The Columbian: Jayne: What is ‘fair’ when it comes to Washington taxation?
December 7, 2015
“According to the nonpartisan, nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Washington households in the lowest one-fifth of income pay 16.8 percent of their income in taxes, while the top 1 percent of earners pay 2.4 percent. Those in the 61st percentile to the 80th percentile pay 8.5 percent of their income in taxes. The […]
Sequim Gazette: Think about It: Readerspeak
November 30, 2015
“I also heard from a Gazette reader who answered my column mind wonderings into minority rule by calling it the “Butterfly Effect” of Washington’s regressive tax system and sent along the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ITEP website to make the point (www.itep.org/whopays/). The website ranks Washington the most, as in No. 1, unfair […]
Politico: Getting to be extenders time
November 30, 2015
“YOUR CYBER MONDAY TAX UPDATE: Carl Davis of the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy notes that this year will be the first holiday season that Amazon — in the midst of a massive national expansion of its distribution network — collects sales tax in a majority of states. In fact, ITEP notes that […]
Washington Times: Terrorist attacks, crime are greatest concerns
November 16, 2015
“Illegal aliens pay income, sales, excise, property, or employment taxes approximating $12 billion annually according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The value of government welfare or social service benefits received by illegals is uncertain. But let’s assume it’s greater that the taxes they pay. That difference would be at most a decimal […]
Idaho Statesman: Does ‘fixing’ Idaho taxes mean cutting, or something else?
November 3, 2015
“The other two legs of Idaho’s tax structure are sales and property taxes. On both scores, Idaho is in the lower half of states, and much lower on property taxes. Its overall tax structure is also fairer than most across income levels. State rankings on tax inequality compiled by the Institute on Taxation and […]
Mcalester News Capital: Sales tax plan reflects shift in Okla. tax base
November 2, 2015
“If voters approved the measure, it would restore the education funds that have been lost over the last decade. Analysts acknowledged that might be the only practical way to address Oklahoma’s educational woes, but was not necessarily good tax policy. “Oklahoma has a regressive tax system, and the sales tax is a big part of […]
NJ.com: Millennials ease off the gas (making it harder to pay for roads…)
November 2, 2015
“It’s the same story around the country. Carl Davis, research director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington-based non-partisan research group on tax issues, said 21 states have gone more than a decade without raising their gas tax rate, and 15 have gone two decades or more without an increase.” Read more
Oklahoma Watch: Boren’s sales tax plan reflects shift in Oklahoma tax base
October 26, 2015
“If voters approved the measure, it would restore the education funds that have been lost over the last decade. Analysts acknowledged that might be the only practical way to address Oklahoma’s educational woes, but was not necessarily good tax policy.“Oklahoma has a regressive tax system, and the sales tax is a big part of that,” […]
Oklahoma Watch: Boren Sales Tax Plan Reflects Shift in Oklahoma Tax Base
October 23, 2015
“If voters approved the measure, it would restore the education funds that have been lost over the last decade. Analysts acknowledged that might be the only practical way to address Oklahoma’s educational woes, but was not necessarily good tax policy. “Oklahoma has a regressive tax system, and the sales tax is a big part of […]
The Lawton Constitution: Penny Tax For Schools Would Be Major Shift
October 23, 2015
“If voters approved the measure, it would restore the education funds that have been lost over the last decade. Analysts acknowledged that might be the only practical way to address Oklahoma’s educational woes, but was not necessarily good tax policy. “Oklahoma has a regressive tax system, and the sales tax is a big part of […]
Enid News & Eagle: Boren sales tax plan reflects shift in tax base
October 21, 2015
““Oklahoma has a regressive tax system, and the sales tax is a big part of that,” said Carl Davis, research director for the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in Washington, a nongovernment research group.” Read more
The Inquirer: In Iowa, GOP-leaning voters give voice to worries over immigrants
October 19, 2015
“Unauthorized immigrants pay “an awful lot in state and local tax revenue,” including sales taxes, and property taxes paid indirectly as rent, said Matthew Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in Washington. About half of undocumented workers also have income taxes withheld from paychecks, Gardner said. Others work off the […]
The Oregonian: Would consumers or big corporations pay huge tax hike headed toward Oregon ballot?
September 28, 2015
“Matthew Gardner, executive director at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said his group – which is associated with the left-of-center Center for Tax Justice – also dislikes gross receipts taxes. They tend to be regressive, complex and unfair to certain kinds of businesses, he said. But Gardner said that because Oregon doesn’t have […]
Washington Post: America’s immigration ‘dumping ground’ contributes to vibrancy and growth
September 25, 2015
“Like Ross, Mr. Trump is right in the sense that immigrants — and here we assume Mr. Trump is referring to the illegal variety, though he doesn’t bother much with fine distinctions — are in rough circumstances compared with native-born Americans. On average they are less educated, less wealthy and less likely to become wealthy. […]
Inlander: FALSENOMICS: Shedding the lies we’ve heard about the state budget will help make a tough problem more solvable
September 25, 2015
“Washington is currently ranked 35th in the country in combined state and local tax rates, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. With our unusual lack of income and capital-gains taxes, we also have the shameful distinction of being the most upside-down tax state in the entire country, according to the Institute on Taxation and […]
Low Tax for Whom?: Washington is a “Low Tax State” Overall, But Not for Families Living in Poverty
September 17, 2015 • By Meg Wiehe
Annual data from the U.S. Census Bureau appear to lend support to Washington's reputation as a "low tax state," ranking it 36th nationally in taxes collected as a share of personal income.1 But focusing on the state's overall tax revenues has led many observers to overlook the fact that different taxpayers experience Washington's tax system very differently. In particular, the poorest 20 percent of Washington residents pay significantly more of their income (16.8 percent) in state and local taxes than any other group in the state. For low-income families, Washington is far from being a low tax state.2 In fact,…
The Washington Times: U.S. companies given Export-Import Bank subsidies keep profits offshore, skirt taxes
September 15, 2015
“Matt Gardner, the executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said companies that are both benefiting from federally backed loans and who are keeping some of their profits offshore are shortchanging U.S. taxpayers. “It’s pretty ludicrous that the federal government would subsidize any company engaging in this kind of tax avoidance,” he […]
Toledo Blade: Ohio Readies for First Break on Sales Tax
August 11, 2015
Carl Davis, a senior analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit nonpartisan Washington think tank, said that while tax holidays help retailers, they don’t accomplish much else. “I think the major takeaway with sales tax holidays is they’re high profile and they get a lot of favorable attention for politicians, because […]
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