Washington
USA Today: States with the Worst Taxes on Average Earners
February 18, 2015
When looking at taxes paid as a share of the income earned, all states have a regressive tax system, which means poorer residents are taxed more than the wealthiest ones. The difference in effective tax rates between income groups, however, varies widely between states. According to “Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems […]
The Toledo Blade: Governor’s Reform Plan Draws Fire from the Left, Right
February 18, 2015
An evaluation of the proposal by the Washington-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, requested by Policy Matters, suggests the top 1 percent of Ohio earners, those making $388,000 or more, will see an average tax cut of $11,906. Those earning less than $58,000 a year would see a net hike of $116 on average, […]
The Inlander: Taxes-Idaho v. Washington
February 12, 2015
But don’t look so smug, Washington progressives: Washington may take in more tax revenue to fund more programs than Idaho, but its tax system hits the poor far harder. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy concluded that Washington had the most unfair tax system in the nation, with the the bottom 20 percent of […]
NPR All Things Considered: Failing Bridges Take a Toll
February 11, 2015
“Asphalt costs are higher, machinery costs are higher. Construction workers’ wages are usually higher,” says Carl Davis of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in Washington. “So the revenues that we’re chipping in aren’t keeping pace with the costs that we have.” Davis says the federal government can borrow money to fund transportation projects. […]
Washington Post: Can These Red States Raise the Gas Tax?
February 11, 2015
Some states can’t wait around to see what the federal government will do. In order to fix their roads, many are seriously considering raising a tax that in some states hasn’t been touched in over two decades. Which states are those? On Tuesday, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal think tank, updated […]
Reuters: U.S. Companies May Not Be Fleeing Due to High Tax Rate
February 10, 2015
In a project for Reuters, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a tax policy think tank in Washington, looked at the six companies’ data somewhat differently, stripping out certain accounting adjustments, and found an average effective tax rate of 22.2 percent over the period. Read more
24/7 Wall Street: 10 States with the Worst Tax Averages for Americans
February 5, 2015
When looking at taxes paid as a share of the income earned, all states have a regressive tax system, which means poorer residents are taxed more than the wealthiest ones. The difference in effective tax rates between income groups, however, varies widely between states. According to “Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems […]
Washington Post: It’s Time to Stop Letting Sports Team Owners Blackmail Taxpayers for New Stadiums
February 5, 2015
“It’s a silly tax break,” said Matt Gardner, director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. “It’s ludicrous that the federal government would be subsidizing state and local borrowing to give investors tax breaks to make it easier for them to build sports stadiums.” Read more
The Spokesman Review: Economy Finally Recovering–for the 1 %
February 4, 2015
Washington’s tax fairness problem is old news – every year, new analyses emerge that rank Washington near the bottom on measures of fairness. That’s based on the state’s reliance on the sales tax, which hits the poor the hardest. A report issued this month by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy ranked Washington at […]
Palm Beach New Times: Florida Has the 2nd Least Fair Tax System in the Nation
February 4, 2015
A big selling point to convincing people to move to the Sunshine State has always been that Florida has no state income tax. And that’s true. But the reality is that Florida ranks at the very bottom when it comes to the fairest taxes in the U.S. This means that the poorest of those living […]
The Bellingham Herald: When It Comes to Unfair Tax Systems, We’re No. 1
February 4, 2015
The unfair nature of our tax system made national news earlier this month when the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) released its state-by-state profile in which it compares features of state tax systems. Its analysis shows that while taxes in just about every state are skewed – on average the bottom 20 percent […]
Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Taxing Capital Gains
February 2, 2015
FAQ on Enacting a Capital Gains Tax In Washington State Read the full report
The Western Front: Keeping Tuition Prices on Ice
January 30, 2015
What it really comes down to is money and where that money comes from. Why doesn’t the legislature start by looking at how we collect taxes in Washington? According to a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, our state has the most regressive tax system in the nation. We’re one of […]
Seattle Times: Gov. Inslee’s Cap Gains Idea is DOA
January 30, 2015
The claim that Washington has the nation’s most unfair tax system comes from the liberal Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which favors progressive tax policies. We may quibble about the rankings — these things aren’t easy to measure — but the institute is right: Washington’s tax burden falls more heavily on lower-income taxpayers. It’s […]
Major tax overhauls are on the agenda in a record number of states, and “Who Pays?” documents in state-by-state detail the precise distribution of state income taxes, sales and excise taxes and property taxes paid by each income group as of January 2013. It is a critical baseline against which future proposals can be measured. […]
The Atlantic: Robin Hood in Reverse
January 28, 2015
But according to a new report from The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the impact of those federal tax breaks is largely offset by the burden of state and local taxes. Here’s how state and local taxes break down as a percentage of income: The richest Americans pay the least. The tax mix changes […]
C-SPAN Washington Journal: President Obama’s Tax Policies
January 26, 2015
ITEP Executive Director Matt Gardner appeared on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal on Jan. 24 to discuss President Obama’s tax proposal. Check out the video.
Columbia Basin Herald: District 13 Legislators Oppose Inslee’s Tax Proposal
January 24, 2015
According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Washington state has the most regressive tax structure in the nation. Inslee said the capital gains tax would help make the tax structure more progressive. Read more
Washington State Budget & Policy Center: Washington State’s Upside Down Tax System Takes A Heavy Toll On Communities Of Color
January 21, 2015
While most Washingtonians agree that everyone has a responsibility to help pay for schools, safe communities, health care, and other broadly shared investments that create jobs and grow the economy, the state continues to have the most upside down state and local tax system of any U.S. state, according to a new report, “Who Pays?”, […]
Wall Street Cheat Sheet: Here’s Proof You’re Getting Screwed on Your Taxes
January 21, 2015
Ever feel like you’re paying more than your fair share when it comes to taxes? If a new study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) holds true, then it may be more than just a feeling. According to the ITEP’s study, individuals who earn lower incomes tend to get hit harder and […]
Chinook Observer: Tax Tale of Two States
January 21, 2015
New study re-emphasizes a longstanding reality: Oregonians have it much better than they imagine when it comes to taxes, while Washington residents ought to be rebelling Although you’d never guess based on the complaining, Oregon lawmakers and voters have done quite a good job of designing a tax system that meets fundamental measures of […]
Evanston Now: Illinois Tax System Among the Most Regressive
January 21, 2015
A new study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says Illinois residents face one of the most regressive state and local tax systems in the nation. The institute — which defines regressive taxation as a system in which lower income people pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than those who […]
Last week, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy released Who Pays?, a report that examines the state and local tax system in all 50 states. The analysis concludes that every state’s tax system is regressive, meaning the lower one’s income, the higher one’s tax rate. Not surprisingly, the report ruffled a few feathers. It’s […]
The Oregonian: Pity Washington’s Unhappy Legislators
January 20, 2015
Last week brought another complication for Washington’s tax situation, as the annual report of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, in the other Washington, found that once again Washington has the most regressive tax structure in the country. Since Washington is so heavily dependent on the sales tax, the poorest fifth of Washingtonians pay […]
Seattle Times: Inslees Capital Gains Tax Pitch
January 20, 2015
“The capital-gains tax on the wealthy — even when combined with a tax credit Inslee has proposed for the state’s poorest families — would not bump Washington from its No. 1 ranking as the nation’s most regressive tax code, according to Matthew Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which ranks […]
Institute on Taxation
and Economic Policy
ITEP is a non-profit, non-partisan tax policy organization. We conduct rigorous analyses of tax and economic proposals and provide data-driven recommendations to shape equitable and sustainable tax systems.
Subscribe to ITEP Emails
Tax research and policy news in your inbox.
Promote Fair Tax Policy
Your gift to ITEP promotes tax justice. With your help, we do research that supports taxing millionaires and billionaires, taxing big corporations and raising revenue for the things our people, our communities and our planet need.
Together, we can create a country with more economic justice, more racial justice, more climate justice… and more tax justice.