Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Trump-GOP Tax Law

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Latest “Compromise” for Tax Plan Is Even Worse than Previous Proposals, Would Reduce the Plans’ “Losers” by Less than 17,000 Taxpayers

December 13, 2017 • By Meg Wiehe, Steve Wamhoff

Earlier this week, ITEP explained that two possible “compromises” to improve the Senate tax bill would accomplish very little other than make the plan more expensive. Incredibly, Republican leaders are now discussing a third possible “compromise” that is even worse — a further reduction in the top personal income tax rate to 37%. This would […]

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Parents of College Students: The Tax Plans’ Losers that No One Is Talking About

December 13, 2017 • By Steve Wamhoff

Parents of college students or kids in their last years of high school are more likely to face a tax hike than others under the tax legislation moving through Congress. Higher education has entered the tax debate because the House bill (but not the Senate bill) would repeal several provisions that make college and graduate education more accessible. But little thought has been given to how the tax bills would affect the parents of college students in more direct ways and make it difficult for them to finance college for their kids. If tax legislation were allowed a reasonable number…

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Who Is “America First” Under the Tax Plan? The Rich First, Foreign Investors Second, Then the Rest of Us.

December 12, 2017 • By Steve Wamhoff

In his inaugural speech, President Trump told the world that Washington would be driven by a principle of “America First.” But the tax plans moving through Congress only put the richest Americans first. Everyone else comes after foreign investors.

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Treasury’s 1-Page Memo Reasserts False Claims that Tax Cuts Largely Pay for Themselves — But Only When Accompanied by Spending Cuts

December 12, 2017 • By Steve Wamhoff

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed for weeks that his department would release a study showing that the $1.5 trillion tax cut moving through Congress would “pay for itself.” On Monday he released a one-page memo that asserts, without evidence, that  economic growth resulting from President Trump’s policies would raise enough revenue to more than offset the costs of the tax cuts.

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“Compromises” Under Discussion for the State and Local Tax Deduction Do Not Fix Flawed Tax Bills

December 10, 2017 • By Meg Wiehe, Steve Wamhoff

Republicans in Congress are reported to be considering two versions of a change they claim would “improve” the current bills by making them more generous to residents of higher-taxed states. As illustrated by these estimates, the reality is that these proposals would make little difference on those states and taxpayers hit hardest.

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Even with Potential SALT Compromises, Senate Bill Forces California and New York to Shoulder a Larger Share of Federal Taxes While Texas, Florida, and Other States Will Pay Less

December 10, 2017 • By Meg Wiehe, Steve Wamhoff

The Senate tax bill, with or without either of the compromises that could be added to it, would shift personal income taxes away from Florida and Texas to states like California and New York, which are already paying a high share relative to their populations.

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They Can’t Help Themselves: GOP Leaders Reveal True Intent Behind Tax Overhaul

December 4, 2017 • By Jenice Robinson

The hand-written scrawls in the margins of the hastily written 500-page Senate tax bill had barely dried when lawmakers began to reveal the true motivation behind their rush to fundamentally overhaul the nation’s tax code.

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Senate Okays Unpopular Plan to Widen Income Inequality, Make the Rich Richer

December 2, 2017 • By Alan Essig

But so far, Republican leaders have demonstrated that, for them, the only voices that matter in this debate are those that fund their campaigns.

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New ITEP Report Explains How Tax Reform Should Eliminate Breaks for Real Estate Investors Like Trump

December 1, 2017 • By Steve Wamhoff

A new report from ITEP provides more details on the many breaks and loopholes for wealthy real estate investors like Trump and what a true tax reform would do to close them.

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Republican Senators Debate Size of “Pass-Through” Break, But Proposed Compromises Will Make No Difference to Anyone Who Is Not Well-Off

November 30, 2017 • By Steve Wamhoff

Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Steve Daines of Montana want the tax bill on the Senate floor to be amended to offer a more generous tax break for “pass-through” businesses. We have estimated how all the provisions in the tax bill would impact each income group under three possible scenarios. The only thing different in each scenario is the size of the deduction for pass-through income: 17.4 percent (the deduction in the bill as this is written), 20 percent and 27 percent. We find that the size of the pass-through break makes no difference for anyone who is not…

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Chained CPI Would Raise Everyone’s Personal Income Taxes in the Future, Would Hurt the Poor Right Away

November 30, 2017 • By Steve Wamhoff

One of the findings is that every income group would face higher personal income taxes in years after 2025 (including 2027). Chained CPI would gradually push taxpayers into higher income tax brackets and make the standard deduction, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and several other breaks less generous over time. The switch to chained CPI would cause some low-income people to face a tax hike starting in 2019, the second year the plan would be in effect.

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Mick Mulvaney and the 19 States Paying Higher Taxes Under the Senate Tax Bill

November 22, 2017 • By Steve Wamhoff

One of the more surprising findings of ITEP’s recent estimates on the Senate tax bill is that 19 states would pay more overall in federal taxes if the bill becomes law. This is not just an increase in the personal income taxes paid (which would happen in some states under the House bill). This is an increase in their net federal taxes overall, even including the assumed benefits of corporate tax cuts and estate tax cuts.

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Analysis of the House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

November 6, 2017 • By Matthew Gardner, Meg Wiehe, Steve Wamhoff

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was introduced on Nov. 2 in the House of Representatives, would raise taxes on some Americans and cut taxes on others while also providing significant savings to foreign investors.

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The Framework’s Tax Increases and Tax Cuts by State

October 25, 2017 • By Steve Wamhoff

As our report on the Trump-GOP tax framework explained, in nine states plus the District of Columbia, more than a fifth of households would pay higher taxes under the framework.

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GOP Tax Plan Will Mainly Benefit Millionaires Even If Top Rate Remains 39.6 Percent

October 24, 2017 • By Steve Wamhoff

The Trump-GOP taxframework would reduce the top personal income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 35 percent, but now  lawmakers are discussing keeping the top personal income tax rate at 39.6 percent for those with taxable income of more than $1 million. This modification would barely change the proposal’s overall impact.

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Middle-Income More Likely Than the Rich to Pay More Under Trump-GOP Tax Plan

October 11, 2017 • By Jenice Robinson

The Trump Administration and GOP leaders continue to wrap their multi-trillion tax cut gift to the wealthy in easily refutable rhetoric about boosting the nation’s middle class. Later today, trucks and truck drivers will serve as a backdrop for a Pennsylvania speech in which Trump is anticipated to talk about how proposed tax changes that […]

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The Data Belie the Trump-GOP Tax Cut Rhetoric

October 5, 2017 • By Jenice Robinson

The Trump-GOP tax plan is touted as plan for the middle-class but delivers a boon to the wealthy, throws a comparative pittance to everyone else and even includes a dose of tax increases for some middle- and upper-middle-income taxpayers. The data belie the rhetoric.

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Benefits of GOP-Trump Framework Tilted Toward the Richest Taxpayers in Each State

October 4, 2017 • By Steve Wamhoff

The “tax reform framework” released by the Trump administration and Congressional Republican leaders on September 27 would affect states differently, but every state would see its richest residents grow richer if it is enacted. In all but a handful of states, at least half of the tax cuts would flow to the richest one percent of residents if the framework took effect.

GOP-Trump Tax Framework Would Provide Richest One Percent in West Virginia with 39.1 Percent of the State’s Tax Cuts

October 4, 2017 • By ITEP Staff

The “tax reform framework” released by the Trump administration and congressional Republican leaders on September 27 would not benefit everyone in West Virginia equally. The richest one percent of West Virginia residents would receive 39.1 percent of the tax cuts within the state under the framework in 2018. These households are projected to have an income of at least $358,800 next year. The framework would provide them an average tax cut of $27,800 in 2018, which would increase their income by an average of 3.5 percent.

GOP-Trump Tax Framework Would Provide Richest One Percent in Louisiana with 63.7 Percent of the State’s Tax Cuts

October 4, 2017 • By ITEP Staff

The “tax reform framework” released by the Trump administration and congressional Republican leaders on September 27 would not benefit everyone in Louisiana equally. The richest one percent of Louisiana residents would receive 63.7 percent of the tax cuts within the state under the framework in 2018. These households are projected to have an income of at least $568,200 next year. The framework would provide them an average tax cut of $97,200 in 2018, which would increase their income by an average of 6.4 percent.

GOP-Trump Tax Framework Would Provide Richest One Percent in Maine with 38.8 Percent of the State’s Tax Cuts

October 4, 2017 • By ITEP Staff

The “tax reform framework” released by the Trump administration and congressional Republican leaders on September 27 would not benefit everyone in Maine equally. The richest one percent of Maine residents would receive 38.8 percent of the tax cuts within the state under the framework in 2018. These households are projected to have an income of at least $473,000 next year. The framework would provide them an average tax cut of $30,390 in 2018, which would increase their income by an average of 2.5 percent.

30% of Marylanders Would Pay More Under GOP-Trump Tax Framework, But the State’s Richest 1% Would Pay Less

October 4, 2017 • By ITEP Staff

The “tax reform framework” released by the Trump administration and congressional Republican leaders on September 27 would not benefit everyone in Maryland equally. More than 30 percent of Maryland households would have higher tax bills, but nearly everyone among the richest one percent of the state’s residents would receive a tax cut.

GOP-Trump Tax Framework Would Provide Richest One Percent in Massachusetts with 76.0 Percent of the State’s Tax Cuts

October 4, 2017 • By ITEP Staff

The “tax reform framework” released by the Trump administration and congressional Republican leaders on September 27 would not benefit everyone in Massachusetts equally. The richest one percent of Massachusetts residents would receive 76.0 percent of the tax cuts within the state under the framework in 2018. These households are projected to have an income of at least $771,800 next year. The framework would provide them an average tax cut of $136,960 in 2018, which would increase their income by an average of 4.5 percent.

GOP-Trump Tax Framework Would Provide Richest One Percent in Michigan with 62.5 Percent of the State’s Tax Cuts

October 4, 2017 • By ITEP Staff

The “tax reform framework” released by the Trump administration and congressional Republican leaders on September 27 would not benefit everyone in Michigan equally. The richest one percent of Michigan residents would receive 62.5 percent of the tax cuts within the state under the framework in 2018. These households are projected to have an income of at least $502,500 next year. The framework would provide them an average tax cut of $76,560 in 2018, which would increase their income by an average of 4.7 percent.

GOP-Trump Tax Framework Would Provide Richest One Percent in Minnesota with 62.2 Percent of the State’s Tax Cuts

October 4, 2017 • By ITEP Staff

The “tax reform framework” released by the Trump administration and congressional Republican leaders on September 27 would not benefit everyone in Minnesota equally. The richest one percent of Minnesota residents would receive 62.2 percent of the tax cuts within the state under the framework in 2018. These households are projected to have an income of at least $632,000 next year. The framework would provide them an average tax cut of $65,780 in 2018, which would increase their income by an average of 2.5 percent.